Experiment 13
by Deep Redd
Summary: When Seto Kaiba first took over Kaiba Corporation, he found that Gozaburo Kaiba had numerous institutions established across Japan to mass produce biological weapons. While he visits each one and shuts them down, he finds one weapon that he soon becomes obsessed with. Seto x OC. LoveFic. Rated M for lemons
1. Prologue

**A/N: My new story! I'm so happy with how this is going so far, I had to start posting! I hope you like it as much as I have enjoyed writing it. It's not finished yet, I've crested 30 chapters and still strong! I'm going to try to upload a chapter a week, because I have both college and work to deal with now...**

 **Anyways, read, enjoy and drop a review to tell me what you think! Much love ❤**

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 **Prologue: Four years earlier, 2010**

As Seto Kaiba sat at the head of Kaiba Corporation's most important desk, he glared at the numerous lawyers surrounding him and arguing insensibly.

"But Gozaburo Kaiba's will states that in the event of his death..." One tried to announce, but was rudely interrupted by another.

"Ah, but is suicide mentioned in his will? Should his will be taken into account, considering he took his own life?" This obnoxious statement earned him several extra glares.

"He's dead. End of story. His assets and therefore his company are awarded to his adopted son Seto Kaiba..."

"Why would you give a thirteen-year-old boy control of a War-Technology company?" This made the heads of all eleven lawyers look at said teen, sitting in Gozaburo's leather chair. He had decided long before now, that enough was enough.

"This argument is ridiculous! I own the most shares in Kaiba Corp. and already had control of the company before the old man threw himself out the window." Seto settled into his seat and smirked at the men before him. "You are all fired, by the way..."

The gasps around the room were audible, to say the least. The majority of the civil servants paled and struggled to stay standing.

"But young sir, don't you want-" A poor attempt to reason with the teen, which only angered him further. He sat forward in his seat and joined his hands in front of him, resting his elbows on the arms of the leather monstrosity.

"I have checked all three of Kaiba Corporation's accounts and noted the thousands of dollars flooding into each of your accounts every week. To add to that, you earn even more through the commission from visits such as this. I am not prepared to throw money at worthless lawyers who do nothing else but squabble in front of me, when all I wanted was to interview you all and determine which of you to keep employed."

The men were speechless. Only moments ago, they thought of this teenager as a child; as someone who couldn't comprehend how weapons of war were created, let alone manage a company that produces them. But he justified firing all eleven of Kaiba Corp.'s former lawyers in one, short, well-thought out speech.

"Now leave, or security will escort you out." Seto Kaiba's warning was taken _very_ seriously and ten of the eleven lawyers left rather quickly. The eleventh was called back by the young CEO, much to his worry.

"You didn't speak at all while they quarrelled about trivial matters. I would like to know why." He motioned for the last lawyer, Michael Simm, to take a seat opposite his desk as he relaxed slightly.

"Well sir, I myself was in a position similar to yours a few years ago..." As Mr Simm spoke, he took his seat and smiled at Seto. "I'm a young man, only have twenty-three years to my name; yet I have my own firm. I'm a very successful lawyer for my age but many people doubted me when I first started."

Seto nodded and took a manilla folder from under the desk, placing it in the centre of mentioned desk and slid it across to Mr Simm.

"What do you know of this?" Motioning toward the folder, Seto frowned in concentration. "I believe you to be a reasonable man, one who does his job correctly and will aid me in the mission I have set myself." Mr Simm carefully opened the folder and clicked his tongue at the content.

"I'm flattered, Master Kaiba, but I knew nothing of all this..." Mr Simm thumbed through a ream of reports from an institution in Tokyo, Japan and frowned. "A Biological Weaponry test site?"

"Apparently Gozaburo built eleven different institutions across Japan in the last three years, all of which are sending such reports back here for assessment..." Seto stood up and crossed his arms. "Since the eleven lawyers were hired approximately three years ago, I thought it unusual to have eleven lawyers and eleven institutions suddenly spring up..."

"I can assure you, I knew nothing of this officially-" Mr Simm stood aswell, looking straight into Seto's cobalt blue eyes.

"You said 'officially', what do you know unofficially?" Seto didn't like going around in circles, even as a child. He preferred for people to get straight to the point.

"The other lawyers were always conversing about their 'institutes' and discussing results and such... I wasn't trusted as of yet with the information though, as I already said-"

"You were considered too young and inexperienced." Seto finished the sentence for him. "Right... I plan to exterminate each and every one of these institutions, starting with the most lethal to mankind." As he spoke, he picked up the reports from an island off the east coast and read the title. "Which is here..."

"Might I ask how I can help sir?" Seto looked up from the report and into Mr Simm's hazel eyes.

"I need an adult that I can trust to accompany me to these institutons, someone who knows the law and can actually shut them down..." Mr Simm nodded in understanding and sat back down.

"I see... I can certainly try my best to help you Master Kaiba." He picked up another report and smirked. "There are five main biological weapons being tested in ten of these institutes. Gozaburo was clever; the two institutes that test the same weapon are the furthest way from each other. The same goes for the other four chemicals, each is being tested in two seperate institutes miles apart from each other..."

"Making them hard to track, should something go wrong." Seto frowned at the report in his hands. "This might take longer than I first calculated..."

"To add to that sir, the eleventh institute's reports are rather unusual..." Mr Simm frowned at the report in question and thumbed through the numerous reports. "Some of these reports are dated from-"

"From before 2007..." Seto had walked around the desk to look over Mr Simm's shoulder and he too, frowned at the reports.

"These reports are sent out every two months, meaning six reports a year. The earliest report here is from... 1990..." Mr Simm was confused. If what Seto Kaiba had said was true, why were there reports from so long ago?

"Subject's condition is unstable. Demands to be released. Forced to use Mace.." Seto snatched one report that caught his immediate attention and read skeptically. "Subject? What is being tested here? It obviously isn't Mace, that was developed years ago..."

"Well, there doesn't seem to be anything potentially lethal written in this report, so it's safe to assume that we can leave this institute alone for a while." Mr Simm assured Seto.

"I agree with you, Simm." Seto smirked at him. "So it's the other institutions first..."

"Of course." Mr Simm and Seto shook hands. "Oh, would it trouble you to call me Mike?" Seto looked at him in surprise.

"Alright, but I ask that you call me Kaiba." Mike nodded.

"Of course." The two looked down at the reports again, both thinking of the hard work ahead of them.


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N: First official chapter of Experiment 13! In response to my only review so far, the lemons start around chapters 26/27. I didn't want to jump straight into lemons in this story, I wanted to develop a plot and build my characters before they became intimate. I think it worked well...**

 **Just a quick guide to this fic; Bold lettering suggest emphasis,** _'Words in italics with quotation marks are thoughts',_ "Words written in inverted commas are speech." **These are important features of this story, all will be revealed soon!**

 **I will update at least once a week, if not more frequently (Like this week). I tend to be more eager to update the more reviews I get, so if you have the time and enjoyed my fic, please leave a review! Much love everyone! ❤**

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 **Chapter One: Present day, 2014**

Today was the day. The day Seto Kaiba would shut down the last institution (the mystery institute) and succeed in his mission. As he stepped gracefully into his limousine, he pulled out his phone and dialed Michael Simm's number.

"Mike, have you secured the Osaka institution?" Kaiba was always to the point; some would describe him as crude, but people close to him knew better.

"Yes Kaiba, they anticipated the visit and had the reports ready to relinquish." Mike's calm, composed reply was reassuring to Kaiba.

They had decided last year to visit the institutions seperately to quicken the pace at which they were working, but Kaiba had always had an odd feelng about this method. He felt as though something strange would happen, when one or both of them were alone in a dangerous place.

"Excellent. I plan to head over to the last one after dinner. Mokuba insisted..." Kaiba sighed, thinking of Mokuba's pleading eyes the night before.

"Aha, his reaction is understandable. After all, there is a small possibility that you may not return home." Mike's answer was plausible, Kaiba had to admit. But the fact remained that Mokuba didn't seem to understand the importance of his visit.

"I suppose your answer has some merit... I'll contact you tomorrow with my results from tonight." Kaiba stated somewhat harshly before hanging up. He didn't wait for Mike's "Of course sir", which was usual behaviour for Kaiba and Mike smirked in his own limousine more than two hundred miles away.

"Sir, we've arrived home." Roland announced from the front of the limo. Kaiba nodded and stood out onto the tarmac of his driveway. Mokuba ran outside and wrapped his arms around his waist.

"Seto! You're finally home!" Kaiba smirked down at the raven hair of his eleven-year old brother.

"Yes Mokuba, I am. And we should head inside, it's rather cold out here..." As he spoke, he looked around at the surrounding landscape. The leaves were falling off the trees, littering the tarmac with splotches of red, amber and yellow. Trees stood in the large front garden like skeletons, the majority of their foliage on the ground beneath them.

"Oh yeah, c'mon!" Mokuba grabbed his hand and dragged him inside the mansion. As soon as the front door closed, Kaiba sighed.

"Mokuba, you do remember I'm going tonight to the institution outside Domino, don't you?" Mokuba frowned as he took his seat at the dining table.

"Yes, I do.." He closed his eyes sadly. Kaiba felt guilty but knew he had to go.

"Mokie..." Mokuba looked up in surprise hearing his old nickname. "I will come back, of course. Besides, this is the last one." Kaiba smiled the smallest of genuine smiles at Mokuba, who returned it with a smile of his own.

"Yeah, I know." The maid brought in their meals and placed them daintily on the table just as Mokuba replied. Kaiba ate his in silence, whereas Mokuba spoke throughout the meal.

A little while after dinner, Kaiba got back into his limo and was driven to the location. He thumbed through the bizarre reports he had, trying to determined what weapon was being manufactured there. Coming to no conclusion, he stood out aggravated when the limo finally stopped.

From the outside, the building looked similar to Domino's hospital. It was quite large, with white-washd walls and numerous windows. The curtains in the windows, however, were drawn and Kaiba thought this was odd.

He walked up to the large front doors and knocked three times. On the third knock, the door opened and Kaiba raised an eyebrow in surprise.

' _They anticipated this visit also...'_ ' he thought. ' _Perhaps I have made these visits too public..._ '

"Mr Kaiba, you took longer than we thought you would." The elderly man who opened the door stood back as he spoke, allowing Kaiba to enter the building.

"Have you been expecting me?" Kaiba looked around the large entrance room, which was also white, but empty.

"Yes, we have. In fact, all personnel have been released from their duties for the past year or so..." The man stood at the foot of a large staircase, seemingly waiting for Kaiba to follow.

"What is your name? Where is the furniture?" Kaiba's questions shocked the man, who bowed and introduced himself.

"My name is Ryuuka Takahashi and the furniture has been sold." Takahashi watched Kaiba as he walked toward the staircase.

"And why are you still here?" Kaiba's most recent question was anticipated by Takahashi, who looked to the side and sighed.

"I have ties here that I must settle with you..." And with that said, he turned around and walked up the stairs. Kaiba followed him, intrigued by his words and actions.

' _Ties? What could that mean? Some sort of code..?_ '' Kaiba puzzled over Takahashi's words and followed him up to the top floor of the establishment. On all the other floors, the sparse furniture was covered with white sheets or missing entirely, leaving faded spots on the wooden floors and on the wallpaper.

"In here sir... Do you know what you're about to see? Or rather, **who** you are about to see?" Takahashi asked Kaiba dryly, rather unkindly. Oddly, he was panting more than a man his age should, but in response Kaiba shook his head. Takahashi pushed open the only door on the top floor and motioned for Kaiba to enter.

Inside the room, was another room. One of the rooms you see in a mental insititute on a television show. Outside of the padded room was a table, monitors and various other pieces of equipment sitting underneath a large window looking into the room.

"Two-way glass sir." Takahashi informed Kaiba. "So she can't see out..."

' _SHE?! I came all this way to find a **SHE**?!_ ' ' Kaiba became angry.

"Are you telling me all this suspense is a lead-up just to find the creator of the weapon?" Kaiba stopped in his tracks and glared at Takahashi, who looked back at him in surprise.

"No sir, she **is** the weapon..." He motioned with his hand for Kaiba to look into the padded cell. Cautiously, Kaiba stood forward and peered inside.

A young lady sat on the edge of a plain white bed. Her light brown hair was tied up in a tight bun and she wore a white vest over khaki pants. She had her back to the window, meaning Kaiba only saw this much of her.

"Who is she? What do you mean **she's the weapon**?" Kaiba was confused. Takahashi nodded and looked into the room at her.

"She is my adopted daughter, Thirteen. Several years ago, Gozaburo established this centre to be a brainwashing unit. Twelve children were adopted from various orphanages across Japan, six boys and six girls. Two six-year olds, two seven-year olds, all years up to and including eleven-years old, a boy and girl the same age.

"They were kept in similar cells to this one, each one being fitted with cameras and wire tabs to monitor each one's movements. Gozaburos's aim was to create the perfect soldier, one that couldn't be distracted from their mission, to be tempted to defect etc. The first twelve reacted violently to solitary confinement. The eleven-year old girl commit suicide in her cell and somehow, the news traveled to the rest of the subjects.

"There was a mad panic and the remaining children were released, as per Gozaburo's instructions. He then demanded we adopt one more child and try a new theory, so I adopted Thirteen when she was two years old. She's been brought up in this environment ever since."

Kaiba stared hard through the glass at the girl.

' _Trapped here all her life, but she doesn't know what she's missing..._ ' Kaiba turned back to Takahashi.

"I suppose **she** is the tie you referred to earlier?" Kaiba's question was answered with a nod. "Why do you need me to sort this out?"

"Mr Kaiba, Thirteen is sixteen-years old and knows nothing of real life. I'm much too old to care for her, I only adopted her because I hadn't a history of adopting children that had to be taken away. I need you to... I need you to terminate her."

"Terminate her?!" Kaiba stepped back a few feet, toward the doorway and away from this lunatic.

"Yes. By pressing this button, a gas will be be released into her room, which will close her bronchioles and cause her to die from lack of oxygen." He pointed to a blue button on the desk as he spoke. "Come back tomorrow, please. Thirteen needs her quiet time.." And just like that, Seto Kaiba was standing outside on the street, waiting for his limousine to arrive.


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N: Chapter 2 :') The story does get better, don't worry. It starts slow, but so do all good things! ;) Trying to stay on top of everything! read, enjoy and review! ❤**

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 **Chapter Two: First Impressions**

Seto Kaiba recalled his strange visit to Domino's Institution to Michael Simm and Mokuba in his lavish living room, the same night the visit occured.

"Do you want me to accompany you tomorrow?" Mike set down his cup of tea on the glass coffee table and sat up straighter in his seat. Mokuba kept a hold of his can of soda and watched with curiosity as Kaiba contemplated the idea.

"No, I'll go alone again." Kaiba picked up his cup of coffee and sipped it slowly.

' _I cannot condone killing that girl..._ ' he thought angrily to himself. ' _It would be unjust to execute her without cause... Then again, Takahashi would argue that he has cause; that in order to put a stop to Gozaburo's institutions, every last specimen in every institute would have to be terminated...'_

"Seto?" At the sound of Mokuba's voice, Kaiba looked up immediately.

"Yes Mokuba?"

"Will you.. Are you actually going to..." The younger Kaiba couldn't even manage to say the words, but Kaiba understood his question regardless.

"I can't Mokie, it goes against my morals..." Mokuba breathed a sigh of relief and took a gulp of his soda. Michael looked over at Mokuba and then back at Kaiba. Although he had known Kaiba for years, this was the first time he had shown emotion to anyone else other than his younger brother.

"Mike, I want all the information you could possibly obtain on Ryuuka Takahashi by tomorrow evening." Kaiba demanded. Mike nodded swiftly.

"Of course sir." Mike stood up and Kaiba followed suit. "I'm afraid I need to leave sir... My wife asked me to be home early this evening to help with our youngest.."

"I understand. I hope you get home safely to your family." They shook hands and as they left the room, Kaiba turned around to Mokuba. "Bed time Mokie..."

"Setooooooo!" He squealed. "It's only ten!"

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The following day, Kaiba made his way back to the institution and knocked on the door. This time, he had to wait a full minute after the third knock before Takahashi finally appeared.

"Mr Kaiba, please, enter.." He stood aside and let Kaiba walk past. They strode up the staircase to the room containing the girl and Kaiba looked in through the window immediately.

She sat facing the window this time. Her hair was still tied up in a tight bun, but her bangs fell down around her heart-shaped face. Her skin was extraordinarily pale, a result of her being kept indoors all her life Kaiba assumed. Her eyes looked to be dark, which struck Kaiba as unusual, her lips were perfectly shaped and a deep pink colour.

"Thirteen knows what is happening today... She asked to see you before it happens..." Takahashi said softly, putting a hand against the glass.

"I'm not terminating her."

The silence in the room rang in Kaiba's ears, as Takahashi turned slowly to stare at him in bewilderment. He stared for a few minutes, making Kaiba feel slightly uncomfortable.

"Sir, I cannot look after her myself... I'm... I'm dying..." Takahashi's eyes filled with tears, the tears of a dying (adoptive) father who has just realised there was no easy way out of this predicament.

"You're dying?" Kaiba raised an eyebrow at this news.

"Yes... I was transferred to another insititute a number of months ago to help with the evacuation procedures. They were developing a type of cancer-inducing nano-machine, one that increases mitosis and then releases toxins into the resulting tumor, so that it becomes malignant..."

"Yes, I recall visiting such a place..." Kaiba agreed with the elderly man.

"I touched the wrong end of a used needle and infected myself..." Takahashi closed his eyes and leaned his forehead against the glass.

' _He's... dying? Now what will I do...?_ '' Kaiba was thinking rapidly, trying to decide how this would work now.

"Ugh.." Takahashi gripped his chest tightly and let out a pained moan. "I... I need to get to a hospital..." he wheezed. Kaiba took out his phone and dialed for an ambulance.

"They'll be here in a matter of minutes.." Kaiba assured him, before looking back into the room.

"There are files... in the computer... Don't tell her about... My involvement..." Takahashi managed to mumble, then he struggled down the staircase alone.

Kaiba waited until he heard the ambulance take Takahashi away, before turning on a microphone that fed directly into her room.

"Thirteen?" Kaiba felt like a fool calling into the room. Especially as her name wasn't a proper name, it was her identification number. He was surprised to see her look up at the speaker above the window.

"Yes?" Her voice. It was sweet, but with a harsh, unnatural undertone. Kaiba frowned, but continued nonetheless.

"Have you ever been outside of this room?" He wanted to know if she had been let out at all and therefore, how much of the world she knew.

"Matron brings me to the wash-room every three days, but apart from that, no.." She looked into the window, though for her it was a mirror. "Who are you? Ryuuka said someone is going to terminate me. Is that person you?" She walked up to the window and placed her hand on the glass.

"No-one is going to terminate you. I am Seto Kaiba, but you can just call me Kaiba. I own a games company here in Domino and I'm going to let you out. Alright?" He put his hand against hers on the glass momentarily, feeling sympathy for her.

"Um... Okay.. Does this mean I have a mission?" Ice shot through his veins.

' _Mission? What mission is she referring to? Was she told she'd only be let out if she had a mission to complete?_ '' Kaiba frowned with disgust.

"What do you mean by 'mission'?" Kaiba drummed his fingers on the window with impatience. She frowned at the sound and mimicked his movements. A slight smile appeared on her lips.

"I was always told that during the war effort, I would only be called upon for a mission. This is the only time I may be released from this room." Her slim fingers rapped along the window and she giggled softly. "This is odd.."

Kaiba stared at her through the glass. ' _Just as I suspected, Gozaburo, you sick-minded bast-_ ' His thought was interrupted by her voice once again.

"Do I have a mission? Is it in Japan? Or in Europe?" Her voice changed from level to nervous, clearly realising that she would be all alone wherever she went.

"No, there is no mission for you. In fact, there isn't even a war..." Her dark eyes widened in surprise and her mouth dropped open.

"No war? Then why am I in here?" She frowned with confusion.

"It doesn't matter... What matters is you're coming out now, alright?" Kaiba tried to keep his voice level as he asked her one again.

"Yes... Alright..." She answered. Kaiba pressed the button on the desk that opened the door and he swore he heard an airlock as the door opened to an ajar state.

She timidly stepped toward the door and Kaiba walked over, grabbing the handle and opening the door fully. She stood out, looking around the drab room that was dark in comparison to her white-walled cell. She looked around in wonder, before having her attention caught by the same voice as before.

"You said you left this room before, why do you look so amazed?" Thirteen looked at Kaba and took in his appearance. Dark brown hair, striking blue eyes, a firm facial expression... He didn't look too friendly... Especially in his trademark silver-white trenchcoat.

"Matron covered my eyes until we reached the wash-room... I've never seen anywhere other than my room or the wash-room..." She stood straight, poised and ready for any sudden movement.

"Are you trained in self-defense?" Kaiba asked her curiously.

"Well... No..." She relaxed slightly, again realising that she was in a hopeless situation.

' _He can do whatever he wants to me and I can't defend myself.._.' She felt scared. Never had she been in this situation before.

"You look very uptight... Look, as I said, I own a games company. I'm going to take you to my home for a while and let you get used to being on the outside. We'll see about getting you a place in school and everything else later..." Kaiba tried his best to look reassuring and held out his and to her.

"Okay. I believe you. But what is a games company?" She took a hold of his hand and smiled at him sweetly. He shook his head in disbelief.


	4. Chapter 3

**A/N: Next chapter is up! I hope it's going okay so far! Read, enjoy and review! :D**

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 **Chapter Three: The outside**

Kaiba led Thirteen to his limousine outside, wary that her immune system wouldn't be used to the bacteria in the air. He shielded her from the sunlight too, knowing her skin wouldn't be used to the ultraviolet rays.

"How do you not know what a games company is?" he asked her inside the limo, looking at her sitting on the white leather.

"Well, a game is an activity where one or more people take part and enjoy themselves.. but I don't know what a company is.." She looked at her arms in shock, which were quickly turning red. "What is this? It's burning..."

"That is a sun-burn. It happens when you're out in the sun for too long..." Kaiba took hold of her arms and ran his cold hands along each one. "I tried to prevent this from happening, but I suppose it didn't work..." He looked up at her and realised how vulnerable and naïve she was.

' _I'm feeling protective now, I want to look after her and make sure she's okay..._ ' He watched her face as her cooled her arms with his cold hands, and she watched his hands on her arms.

"A company is a group of people who set out to achieve a business venture. My business venture is to create and distribute games to the children of the world, which is what I have been doing up until now.." Kaiba let go of her arms and sat back in his seat.

"I see..." Thirteen looked up at him. "Why are your eyes blue?"

"What do you mean?" He looked into her brown eyes, devoid of emotion and frowned.

"I was told every soldier's eyes are brown..." She frowned too. Kaiba shook his head.

"I am not a soldier. The only soldiers now are in the army and they are miles away..." He closed his eyes in thought. "My eyes are blue because everyone's eyes are different colours.."

"So mine are brown, but yours are blue? That isn't fair, I want beautiful eyes too..." Kaiba opened his eyes in shock, only to see Thirteen was directly in front of him.

"Beautiful eyes?" Kaiba queried, raising an eyebrow. Thirteen nodded, staring straight at them. "Look, sit back down and put on your seat belt..." As Thirteen complied, Kaiba took out his laptop and plugged in his USB. Before they left, he downloaded all her files onto his USB and wanted to read about her.

 **Important note: Experiment 13 wears contact lenses. Must be changed every twelve hours. Contact lenses must be dark brown, keeping in line with the fabrication of a soldiers' eyes being brown.**

 **Drinks water or cow's milk, no caffeinated or flavoured drinks. [Soldiers have no access to such beverages]**

 **Eats boiled chicken, boiled potatoes [Healthy but bland food, Soldiers will have no access to well-seasoned food] Biscuits, baked beans, dark unflavoured chocolate [Easily-preserved food brought as rations]**

 **Reads books of any nature (Including a high-school science textbook, raised questions about sexual reproduction** )

At this, Kaiba looked awkwardly over his laptop and at Thirteen, sitting directly across from him. She smiled at him, a small smile and he quickly looked back down at his laptop.

' _She's sixteen years old and doesn't know about that?_ ' Kaiba panicked slightly. ' _How am I supposed to explain that?_ ' He looked over at her again, her eyes closed and face directed at the tinted window.

"Thirteen?" She looked at him immediately, her eyes as plain as expected, but her overall expression curious. "Would you mind terribly if I called you something less... Numerical?"

"Numerical..." She said the word and rolled her tongue in her mouth. "Isn't Thirteen my name?"

"Can you count?" Kaiba asked sarcastically.

"One, two, three, four, five, six-" She began, but Kaiba interrupted her.

"What number comes after twelve?" His crude interruption surprised her, but she answered regardless.

"Thir...Thirteen..." She frowned. "Are you saying I'm only a number?"

"I'm not saying that at all. In fact, I'm saying the opposite. You deserve a proper name, not a number, that distinguishes you from others." Kaiba looked back down at the laptop. "But, we can decide that later. Right now I have some research to do..."

"What are you researching?" Thirteen folded her hands on her lap and looked at Kaiba with curiosity. Kaiba looked up slightly at her, taking in her appearance.

"Do you know what contact lenses are?" Kaiba asked her coldly. She shook her head. "They are small pieces of plastic that rest on the outside of your eyeball. In some cases, the lenses are specially made so that people with impaired vision can see through them clearly without glasses. In most cases, they give the appearance of different coloured irises..."

"So we can buy some and I can have beautiful eyes!" Thirteen squealed happily and clapped her hands. Kaiba sat surprised at her excited outburst, watching as she smiled and clasped her hands together. "I was never allowed anything nice back there..." As she spoke, she pointed back towards the institute and managed to look sad.

"I wasn't suggesting we buy you contact lenses. You're already wearing them." Kaiba stared at his laptop, scanning the information he managed to obtain.

 **The majority of literature she has been given are war-based, giving her the political backstory of war throughout history. This has given her an abundance of knowledge of war and although she lacks general knowledge, she is almost ready to be sent out into the battlefield.**

Kaiba folded down the laptop with a click. He was disgusted with the reports and felt sympathetic towards the young girl. The limousine stopped outside the large gates at Kaiba Mansion for no longer than ten seconds, before pulling into the driveway beyond the gates.

"Thirteen, I should mention my younger brother is quite... Energetic. Don't be put out by his behaviour. He'll try to talk to you about many things you don't know about yet, but just tell him you don't understand and he should explain it to you." Kaiba warned, as he put his laptop back into his suitcase and prepared to exit the limousine.

The limo stopped and Kaiba opened the door swiftly. He stood out and turned around, reaching a hand inside for Thirteen. She looked at his broad hand for a moment, before placing her small hand in his timidly and allowing him to gently pull her out of the vehicle. His trenchcoat was draped over her shoulders as soon as the sunlight touched her exposed arms and face, and she looked down in surprise.

The trenchcoat smelt of him, whether it was cologne or aftershave she didn't know. It was fairly warm from him wearing it all day and it was several sizes too big for her. She snuggled into it, unaware of her actions. Kaiba though, noticed and smirked.

"Enjoying my attire? You're a character Thirteen..." He shook his head in humour and led her to the front door, still holding her hand, while she followed embarrassed. As soon as the door was opened, a boy with raven-coloured hair ran out and wrapped his arms tightly around Kaiba.

"Seto, I was worried something had gone wrong! I didn't know what to think..." Mokuba then looked over at Thirteen and his eyes widened. "Is this her?"

"Yes, we should hurry inside, she burns in the sun.." Kaiba wrapped his spare arm around Mokuba's shoulders and guided both of them inside the mansion. "Mokuba, this is Thirteen. We have yet to decide a proper name for her, but for now we'll stick with Thirteen."

"Nice to meet you." Mokuba held out his hand and Thirteen gently shook it. "My gosh, your hands are almost as cold as Seto's!" He laughed and turned to Kaiba. "Can we play video games together?"

"Not now Mokie, you can play but I need to talk to Thirteen." Kaiba turned to her and smirked. "We'll go into the kitchen first. Follow me." As Mokuba shrugged and bounded up the stairs to the games room, Kaiba led Thirteen through the large cream hallway and into the kitchen. She stared wide-eyed at the different cupboards and stoves in the room before sitting on a high chair opposite Kaiba at a table.

"Am I allowed to ask you questions?" Thirteen queried quietly. Kaiba nodded. "How do I have contact lenses? Why was I in that room?"

"I was hoping you didn't ask that..." He looked down at his hands clasped on the table and sighed. "You were part of an experiment, the thirteenth candidate chosen to undergo a brainwashing procedure. The other twelve experiments were all failures, but you seemed to be making progress, from a brainwashed point of view.

"Ryuuka was your adoptive father, who was under orders to adopt you. They kept you in that room since you were two years old, in an attempt to teach you only how to be a soldier. Your diet has been simple but bland, your knowledge of society is almost non-existant and your mental age is a little younger than Mokuba.

"Your eyes are not brown, the researchers you knew as soldiers were giving you a drug to induce sleep and then placing contact lenses on your eyes as you slept. Your hair was always tied up in an attempt to steer you away from vanity.

"Your mental growth has been stunted by their ministrations, as has your immune system. You burn quickly in direct sunlight, and are in danger of catching the common cold and becoming fatally ill."

Thirteen stared at him calmly and listened intently. "I knew something was odd" was all she said.


	5. Chapter 4

**A/N: Two reviews and a PM! Absolutely delighted! Next chapter of Experiment 13, I hope everyone is enjoying so far! Read, enjoy and review!**

* * *

 **Chapter 4: Nosebleed**

Kaiba stared at Thirteen intently, as she stared at her lap. He had no desire to tell her the full truth, but lost the will to lie to the unfortunate child (' _Why do I think child? She's a year younger than me...')_ and so ended up saying much more than he had planned.

"So... I'm experiment thirteen..." Thirteen mumbled. She suddenly looked up at Kaiba. "But I'm not an experiment anymore, am I?"

"No, you're not." Kaiba shook his head as he agreed with her statement. "I think... I think you might stay here, with Mokuba and I, for a while..." Kaiba tilted his head and gauged Thirteen's reaction.

"Can we decide my name please? I want to sound less... Numerical..." She smiled and Kaiba smirked.

"Of course, it's an important matter that must be dealt with immediately." Kaiba sat back into his seat and pondered many different names.

"How about Alyssa?" Thirteen offered enthusiastically. Kaiba took one look at her happy face and nodded.

"Alyssa Kaiba? Or Alyssa Takahashi?" Her smile dissipated and she frowned.

"Alyssa Takahashi of course! If I chose Kaiba, it would sound like you were going to adopt me. Even I know you're too young to adopt a person..." Her smile returned as she spoke and Kaiba smirked.

"You fail to realise how influential I am here in Domino. I could adopt you if I so chose to, but it would seem odd under the circumstances..." He folded his arms and looked out of the room. Mokuba was standing in the doorway.

"Can she play now?" Mokuba looked with interest at the girl.

"In a moment, there's one last thing we need to discuss." Kaiba looked at Alyssa and stated with a calm demeanour; "You need to remove those contact lenses. And soon."

"But, I don't know how!" Alyssa became scared and tears formed in her eyes. Mokuba laughed.

"Taking out contact lenses isn't too hard you know!" He moved toward her and took her by the arm. "The bathroom is this way..." Kaiba followed Mokuba and Alyssa, as they moved toward the staircase.

"Does it hurt?" Alyssa asked with a quiver in her voice.

"Alyssa, you're worrying over nothing..." Kaiba nodded his head at Mokuba. "Get the game ready, I'll help Alyssa..."

"Alyssa..." Mokuba repeated the name with interest. "That's a beautiful name to match a beautiful face." He ran down the teal-coloured hall and disappeared into a door on the right.

' _Mokuba's right; It does suit her..."_ Kaiba mentally shook his head.

"This door here." Trying to control his thoughts, Kaiba opened a door to her left and Alyssa stepped inside. The bathroom was incomparable to her old wash-room. There sat a peach-coloured bathtub along the back wall of the room and the matching toilet was nestled into it's own corner on the right, sheltered from direct view. Across the way was the handbasin, and a few feet away was the shower. Intrigued, Alyssa moved closer.

"What is this?" She stood into the shower and looked all around, finally upwards and saw the showerhead above.

"It's a shower. You use it like a bath.." Kaiba was unsure as to how to finish his sentence.

"How?" She caught sight of the fancy faucets on the wall and twisted one experimentally. Cold water poured from the showerhead onto her thin frame. Trickles of water fell down her face, while the majority crept down her back and made her shiver. Kaiba laughed and reached a hand inside to turn the shower off.

"I'll get you a towel while you take out those contact lenses. There's a mirror over the handbasin." Alyssa nodded in reply and moved to the mirror. She peered into her eye and tried in vain to pinch the lense.

"Ouch!" She covered her eye quickly and stared shocked into the mirror. A towel was draped over her shoulders and Kaiba twirled her around.

"What did you do?" He looked at her eye carefully and tutted his disapproval. "Shall I just take them out for you?"

"Um... Yes please? If you don't mind..." Alyssa blushed and looked at the floor.

"Tilt your head toward me, but point your eyes toward the sink." She followed his instructions and he simply touched her eye for a moment, before taking it away again. "Now do the same for the other eye." Taken aback by her eyes, he took a second longer to remove the second lense. "Blink or close your eyes for a moment..." Kaiba suggested.

Aqua blue eyes were closed and opened thrice, the green tint in her irises providing an extra shine that complimented her pale complexion. She squeezed her eyes shut suddenly.

"They feel weird..." she complained.

"It's because your eyes have been protected for years. Don't panic, you'll get used to it soon." Kaiba smirked reassuringly at her and she smiled back. "Now, Mokuba as in he games room just up the hall. He plays electronic games though, he will explain to you how to play." He led her to the room in question and nodded at Mokuba. "I'll be in my office."

"Okay Seto!" Mokuba looked at Alyssa and smiled. "I have the game all set up! You press the buttons on this controller and the character corresponds on the screen." As Mokuba explained the game to her, Alyssa stared in wonder at the television.

"What is this?" The confusion on her face made the younger of the Kaiba brothers laugh aloud.

"It's a television. It projects things on it, like moving pictures and stuff."

"How odd..." She raised her hand to touch it when she felt moisture just under her nose. Wiping her face with the back of her hand, she continued to touch the glass. She smelled something strange, foreign to her. Then she saw it. And after that, she screamed.

"Alyssa? What's wrong? Alyssa?" Mokuba ran toward the screaming girl and looked over her dispairingly. When he saw the blood above her top lip, he nodded in understanding and yelled for Kaiba. "Alyssa calm down, you'll be alright..."

Kaiba entered the room swiftly, and saw Mokuba crouched next to Alyssa who was still screaming. He crouched next to them and looked at Mokuba.

"What happened?"

"I think she has a nose-bleed... She rubbed her nose and saw the blood on her hand..." Mokuba stood up and walked backwards, away from the panicking girl.

"Alyssa, stop screaming..." Kaiba placed a hand on her lower back and her screams quietened. She shook visibly, staring at the smear of blood on the back of her hand and gripped onto Kaiba's shirt with the other. "Come on, we'll let Mokuba play and I shall show you my office, alright?"

Alyssa didn't reply. She felt more blood preparing to flow down her face and she burst into tears.

"Alyssa?!" Kaiba picked her up bridal-style in despair, holding her close to his chest and frowned.

' _I haven't finished reading her reports! I'm not sure what's going on right now...'_ Kaiba was at a loss. For the first time in years, he wasn't sure how to proceed.

He began to carry her to his office which was a ways down the hall, when a very morbid comment left her perfect lips.

"I'm going to die..."

Kaiba stopped in his tracks.

"No you're not, at least not any day soon... What are you talking about?" He frowned down at her, confused as to why she was so upset.

"Look, there's blood..." Alyssa showed him the smear of blood on her hand and pointed to her face. "I'm dying..."

"Alyssa, you're not dying. What in Ra's name makes you think like that?" Kaiba strode in through the open office door and placed Alyssa down on the sofa that resided inside. Then he took a handkerchief from his pocket and put it over her nose.

"In the films I've seen, people always die when they bleed..."

"The films you have seen are not real. You are not a soldier, you do not have a mission to do and it is possible for you to bleed without dying!" Kaiba barked at her unkindly. She flinched, unused to such communication and looked down. "You're going to need to look up..."

"Sorry Kaiba..." She looked up at the ceiling, away from his face and sighed. "My room was much easier to deal with than all of this.."

Watching her upturned face, he listened to her words carefully and tried to decide how he should approach this.

"Alyssa, can you hold this yourself please? I'm afraid I need to make a phone call..."

"Of course." She held the handker in its place as Kaiba took the corded phone from his desk and dialed.


	6. Chapter 5

**A/N: Next chapter! So happy with the reviews I'm getting so far, they really motivate authors to continue writing! Read, enjoy and leave a review if you have an opinion!**

* * *

Chapter 5;

"Mike, I was wondering if you and your wife could help me with something... Could you come to dinner tomorrow? Excellant, thank you." Kaiba hung up the phone and smirked at Alyssa.

"Why are you smiling?" She blushed slightly and Kaiba's smirk became more pronounced.

"I'm smirking, not smiling. Have you ever had nice clothes?" Alyssa frowned and shook her head. "I think I should take you shopping... Buy you some nice attire."

Alyssa opened her mouth to ask if they would need a ration book, then closed it quickly. She was starting to realise that everything she was taught in that one small room was irrelevant to everyday living. She was not a soldier, there was no war and the world around her was full of mystery and adventure. Kaiba watched her silently for a short while, before moving over to his desk and reading more files.

Alyssa took the sodden handkerchief from her face and folded it neatly on the palm of her hand when she knew her nose had stopped bleeding. "What is that you're using?" she asked Kaiba cautiously.

"A laptop, a mini-computer..." he replied distractedly. Alyssa knew to stay quiet, but suddenly felt so exhausted that she fell asleep where she sat.

* * *

 **Experiment 13: Day 18 Year: 2000**

 **Experiment was injected with 30mls ID, no effects have been observed.**

 **Supposedly ID improves eyesight, but as Experiment is approximately 27 months, the condition of her eyesight cannot be confirmed.**

* * *

 **Experiment 13: Day 39 Year:2000**

 **Experiment displayed signs of nausea, refused to eat food.**

 **Fed through an IV tube.**

* * *

 **Experiment 13: Day 103 Year: 2001**

 **She replies to the name 'Thirteen'**

* * *

 **Experiment 13: Year: 2002**

 **Experiment eager to learn**

 **Given a dose of AM to suppress questioning**

* * *

At this point of the script, Kaiba rubbed his eyes in frustration and sighed.

' _I understand little of this... I don't know what drugs they've pumped into her fragile body, these letters make no sense to me..."_ He searched through the files until he found what he was looking for.

 **Narcotic Central LTD**

 **Report No:** **6**

 **Author:** **Ryuuka Takahashi**

 **Explanation of drugs and inventory**

 **ID, abbreviation of Idebenone.**

 **Improves eyesight, testing needed.**

 **Experiment supplied by GB (Gozaburo Brainwashing)**

 **AM, abbreviation of Ambien.**

 **Induces sleep**

 **Gozaburo Brainwashing ordered large quantities**

 **OB, abbreviation of Oxytocin Blocker**

 **Suppresses affection**

 **Gozaburo Brainwashing ordered large quantities**

 _'Ryuuka was more involved than he admitted...'_ Kaiba frowned at Alyssa from his seat. "Alyssa?"

"Ummm..." She groaned in her sleep, and her eyelids began to flicker.

"Alyssa?" Kaiba called a little louder. When he received no reply, he checked his watch and noted the time. He stood swiftly and moved over to her, picking her up gently and thinking of the many rooms in which she could stay.

"Seto, is she okay?" Mokuba poked his head into the room and gasped when he saw her exhausted state. "What happened?"

"She's fallen asleep Mokie, she's alright..." Mokuba nodded.

"Cook says dinner will be ready in an hour..." He took his leave and Kaiba proceeded through the doorway into the hall.

The hallway in which they stood was one of many in the vast mansion; However, this particular hall was one of two on the second floor. When the large staircase in the grand hall divided into two, the left took you to the academic area of the house. Here lay Kaiba's office, Mokuba's study room and the games' room.

The right staircase took you to the 'living' area, where the bedrooms were located. Mokuba's room was the first door on the left, whereas Kaiba's room was at the end of the hall. There were several guest rooms between them, all but one were several metres away from the master bedroom.

Kaiba carried Alyssa down the hall to the grand staircase and crossed to the right-hand side. He stopped for a moment in front of a door to a guest room near Mokuba's room, then proceeded down the hall to the door nearest his. He opened the door precariously, and managed to get himself and Alyssa to the bed that sat in the middle of the room. Then he walked back out.

Alyssa woke a short time after and was startled to find herself on a silk double bed in a red and cream room. There were three doors; One lead to an en-suite bathroom, another to a walk-in wardrobe and the last to the hall, though she didn't realise. She sat up and looked down at the bedspread, where she found a note alongside a neat pile of clothes.

 _Alyssa,_

 _You fell asleep in my office earlier, so I brought you to your room._

 _I found some clothes you can wear for dinner this evening, I advise you have a shower first._

 _~ Kaiba_

She looked around the room and shifted herself carefully off the bed. Finding her footing, she tip-toed across the room to one of the doors. Opening it carefully, she peered inside and saw the shelves and racks for shoes and clothes respectively. Alyssa left that door ajar and opened the next one, which revealed a black and white bathroom. She timidly moved toward the shower and turned the faucet on the left.

Hot water fell like a waterfall on top of her, soaking her to the bone and reddening her revealed skin. She turned the other faucet in panic and the water became more warm than hot. Her clothes dropped to the floor as she took up a sponge from the small shelf beside her and squirted shower-gel onto it.

* * *

Kaiba was curious as to how Alyssa handled the shower. He pondered for a moment the idea of checking on her, then dismissed that idea just as quickly. Mokuba sat in silence at the dining room table, concentrating more on his phone than his slightly worried older brother.

Alyssa walked in at that moment, dressed in the cream top and chocolate-brown pants that Kaiba had found for her earlier that evening. Her chestnut brown hair lay damp on her left shoulder, unbrushed.

' _Those clothes actually suit her, coupled with the fact that her hair has been left down. She looks rather... Cute. Yes, that's a word I haven't used for a while..._ ' Kaiba watched Alyssa as she walked across the room to the table. She smiled and blushed, finding her seat opposite Mokuba and sitting down carefully.

"That shower is fun once you learn how to use it..." she mumbled embarrassed, avoiding eye-contact with Kaiba.

"Oh, hey Alyssa!" Mokuba pocketed his phone and turned his attention to the young girl. She nodded at him and looked down at the dark oak table.

"I asked our cook to make some simple dinners tonight Alyssa, so that you can try new foods carefully..." Kaiba stated matter-of-factly. "And then tomorrow after work, I'm bringing you shopping."

"Shopping? What for?" Her eyebrows rose in alarm and Kaiba sighed.

"You need clothes; Your current attire belongs to someone else..." Kaiba frowned at the memory of Sayoku Mizuki, a former girlfriend of his who no longer contacted him. "She didn't leave much behind, so we need to buy you your own clothes."

"Thank you Kaiba..." Alyssa looked down at her lap. Kaiba raised an eyebrow and opened his mouth to speak, but a well-dressed young lady walked in just then, pushing a trolley with three colloshes on it. She placed a jug of water on the table, along with small salt and pepper shakers, then moved back toward the trolley.

"Sir, the chicken with barbeque sauce and bacon.." The waitress placed a plate on the table in front of Kaiba and removed the collosh, revealing the delicious meal underneath. Alyssa's eyes opened wider and she stared at the meal with wonder.

"Did you bring the other meal?" Kaiba demanded of her. She nodded and took another dish from the trolley, placing it in front of Alyssa and removing the collosh.

"Chicken breast with baby potatoes in a cheese sauce..." The waitress served Mokuba and stood back from the table. Kaiba nodded as she bowed and gracefully left the room.

"Now Alyssa I'm aware that your diet wasn't varied enough, so if you don't like anything on that plate, tell me immediately." Kaiba made eye-contact with those mysterious aqua-blue eyes and poured water into her glass. She nodded and picked up her fork. Nervously, she brought some chicken to her mouth and chewed.


	7. Chapter 6

**A/N: This is a relatively short chapter in comparison to the last few. Many apologies, I had two assignments due for college this week :O I will keep on top of everything though! Read, enjoy and drop a review! :')**

* * *

 **Chapter Six: Discovery**

Her eyes opened wide with surprise. She gasped and looked down at the dish in disbelief.

"What's wrong? Don't you like it?" Mokuba asked quickly, quite content with his meal.

"I... I don't know what to say..." Alyssa looked up at Mokuba and a broad smile broke out across her face. "It's the second most delicious thing I have ever tasted..."

"Only the second? What was the first?" Mokuba leaned across the table with curiosity.

"Um... This brown sweet called chocolate... Proper chocolate, with milk and sugar and stuff..." Alyssa focused on her food and ate wholeheartedly, while Mokuba asked Kaiba what she meant by 'proper chocolate'.

"She was allowed to have dark chocolate while she was kept locked up, but there was no mention of milk chocolate on her reports..." Kaiba turned toward Alyssa. "Alyssa, when did you have milk chocolate?"

"Every year, once a year, for my birthday..." She looked up from her food momentarily. "Ryuuka would bring me a big box of chocolates and turn off all the cameras and stuff, so we wouldn't be caught..."

"Did he tell you he turned off the cameras?" Mokuba realised that such an occurrence would be odd, considering the situation Ryuuka was in.

"No, but I always saw him do it."

"How could you see him? You were trapped in that room! Did he leave you out?" Kaiba was shocked. ' _What is going on here? This makes no sense..._ '

Alyssa laughed. "No, I saw him through the glass!"

"It was two-way glass; For the outside it was a window, but for you it was a mirror."

"No, I could always see through it."

The knives and forks remained stationary in mid-air, as the tension in the room became thicker.

"How?" Kaiba demanded, somewhat harshly. Alyssa swallowed her last morsel and pushed away the empty plate, licking her perfect lips.

"They gave me some stuff when I was small, an injection, and since then my eyesight is better..." Alyssa was confused by Kaiba's behaviour. "I've been wrong again, haven't I?"

"What do you mea..." Mokuba's voice died away when Alyssa stood and bowed slightly. She stared at the sea-green carpet on the floor in sadness and spoke in a tone that matched her expression.

"I should go to bed... I'm very sorry for this..." And away she walked. Kaiba stared at her with disbelief evident in his eyes and Mokuba turned toward him.

"Seto! She'll miss dessert!" Kaiba smirked.

"I'll bring her some in a while... I don't think she'll attempt to sleep yet."

* * *

It was some time later when Kaiba brought a small plate covered with aluminium foil upstairs to Alyssa's room. He checked his watch and noticed it was only a little after eight in the evening. Nevertheless, he knocked on her door.

"Um... Yes?" Her sweet voice, full of uncertainty and remorse, came from behind the wooden obstacle, making Kaiba smirk once more.

"Alyssa, it's Kaiba. Is it alright if I come in?" He waited for a full ten seconds before she answered again.

"Alright..."

He opened the door and walked inside, closing the door behind him. She was curled up on the large bed, with her back facing the door. Kaiba felt slightly awkward and simply stood at the door, while she turned her head toward him,

"Are you alright?" He watched her face as she frowned and shook her head. "What's wrong?"

"I've been wrong... I'm very sorry..." She turned her head back into the pillow and trembled.

"You haven't been wrong. Alyssa, explain this to me, please..." Kaiba sat on the edge of the bed and placed the plate on the duvet. Alyssa turned around and saw him, then sat up quickly.

"What's this?" She pointed at the plate.

"Dessert. You ran away from the table during dinner..." Kaiba removed the foil and revealed a thin slice of chocolate cheese cake. Alyssa's eyes widened.

"It's a chocolate cake?" She looked up. "You'd like me to explain how I was wrong?"

"Yes." Kaiba handed her a fork and motioned to the cake.

"Okay..." She took a mouthful of chocolate cheesecake and chewed contently. Her aqua eyes closed and she hummed slightly. Kaiba smirked and raised an eyebrow.

"Anytime, back there..." She waved her left hand in the air, making reference to the institute once again. "...If I did something wrong, I would be punished. Wrong things are looking through the window, knowing what you're thinking and things like that..." She took another mouthful of the cake and hummed again. "But I suppose I wasn't wrong, considering you gave me a slice of this cake..."

"Did you say... Looking through the window? And reading people's minds?" Kaiba moved toward her slightly with intrigue. She giggled and nodded her head.

"Yeah, why?" She blushed and had to look down at the plate.

"Because that is known as telepathy, which hasn't been mentioned in your reports..." He leaned away from her. "So I'm not sure if it's true..."

"Will you answer a question for me please?" Alyssa smiled prettily at him and he nodded. "How am I cute?"

' _Cute?! I haven't said it aloud, have I?_ ' Kaiba stared at her for a long moment and she smiled again. "Did Mokuba say you were cute?"

"No, you think it..." Alyssa smirked and finished the last piece of the cheese cake. 'You constantly think it, even though back when you saw me for the first time, you were angry with me."

"I wasn't angry with you... I was angry with my stepfather..." Kaiba closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose with his forefinger and thumb. "The institution where you grew up was illegal. It housed many different illegal narcotics that were tested on you and I was angry with my stepfather for establishing such a place..."

"You're changing the subject slightly." Alyssa smiled and looked down at the bedsheets, "But from the sounds of it, your stepfather isn't a very nice man..."

"Wasn't a nice man..." Kaiba corrected. Alyssa's eyes widened as she looked up at him.

"He was pushed out of a window?" She brought her hand up to her mouth in horror. "Who did it to him?"

"It was never proven that he was pushed... Though people suspect that I did it..." He looked out of her window and muttered, "I often wonder if I had pushed him, and sooner too, would things be different now?" He looked down at his crossed arms. "Besides, his body was never found, so people suspect that he may still be alive..."

"Your parents aren't here anymore either. We're the same..." Alyssa's voice broke Kaiba's train of thought.

"In a way, I suppose we are rather similar... Though I'm not telepathic." Kaiba smirked at Alyssa and she blushed. ' _I have to be careful about what I think around her..._ '

"I heard that too you know..." She looked around the room and sighed. "There's so much stuff to take in..."

"You're accepting a lot of information very quickly Alyssa. It's impressive." Kaiba stood up from the bed and looked at her thin form. "I'll let you sleep, I plan on waking you early tomorrow so I can take you shopping."

"Um, alright... Thank you Kaiba." She stood and bowed slightly. "I'm very sorry about tonight, I promise I don't mean to do it..."

"Don't apologise Alyssa. Good night." Kaiba smirked and left the room promptly. Alyssa stood for a moment and wondered where to find clothes for bed. She checked the wardrobe and found a matching cream silk pajama shirt and pants, folded neatly on a shelf. She smiled and got ready for bed.


	8. Chapter 7

**A/N: Next chapter! I hope it makes sense so far! Read, enjoy and review! ❤**

* * *

 **Chapter Seven; A Day Out**

There was a sharp knock on Alyssa's door early the next morning. She jumped awake and sat upright immediately.

"Might I enter Miss Alyssa?" A female voice. Alyssa looked at the door in amazement before saying yes. A young woman walked in, dressed in black dress pants and a white blouse, covered with an apron. Alyssa recognised her as the woman who brought the dinner into the dining room the night before. "I should introduce myself. My name is Anna and I work as a maid for Mister Kaiba... That means I also work for you too!" She was probably a little older then Alyssa, but not by much.

"It's nice to meet you Anna..." Alyssa stood out of the bed and looked toward the door to the en-suite bathroom.

"Oh, I'm here to give you these clothes and some fresh towels!" Anna brought in a stack of towels and more folded clothes from outside the door and left them on the bed. ' _I find it odd that Kaiba would give Alyssa his ex-girlfriend's clothes...'_ ' She stared at the pile for a moment, before looking back up at Alyssa.

Alyssa raised an eyebrow at the unexpected news. "Mister Kaiba expects you in the front hall in half an hour..." Anna bowed and left the room quickly, leaving her alone to ready herself for the day.

* * *

Kaiba stood patienty in the front hall of the mansion, waiting for Alyssa to make an appearance. Mokuba stood beside him, watching the door to the kitchen with intensity. Both brothers were aware of Alyssa's whereabouts, yet they decided to let her eat in peace.

Kaiba assumed she would feel uncomfortable with the two of them alongside her as they walked around the shopping mall, so he arranged with Yugi to take Mokuba to the arcade for the day.

"Do you have your mobile Mokuba?" Kaiba's deep voice pulled Mokuba out of his day-dream and he turned to face his older brother.

"Y-yes Seto..." Mokuba's stuttered reply raised Kaiba's eyebrow and he turned to him with interest.

"Something on your mind Mokie?" He watched as Mokuba's face flushed red and he shook his head. "Some _one_ on your mind I'll bet..." Kaiba smirked as Mokuba looked down at the floor with embarrassment.

"Kaiba, you're making it worse..." Both Kaiba brothers turned toward the sound of Alyssa's pained voice as she strolled toward them from the kitchen. She was wearing the blue faded jeans and sky-blue shirt that Kaiba had sent up to her room that morning and the navy trenchcoat was draped over her right arm.

"Making what worse?" Kaiba asked. Alyssa raised both eyebrows and shook her head in disbelief.

"Mokuba, would you mind not thinking that please..?" She frowned slightly, feeling uncomfortable. Kaiba smirked and refrained from laughing aloud, as poor Mokuba nodded his head numbly and muttered "I'll sit in the car..." before he headed outside.

"Who was he thinking about? A girl called Serenity?" Kaiba put his arm around her waist and led her to the car waiting outside.

"No-one. Don't ask him, alright?" Alyssa smiled prettily at him and sat into the limousine beside Mokuba. Kaiba sat in also and within minutes Mokuba was with Yugi at the arcade.

"Don't worry Kaiba, Mokuba will be safe with us!" Yugi assured. Kaiba nodded and was about to close the door, when Mokuba suddenly decided to poke his head back inside.

"Did Mike get back to you yet?" His question made Alyssa frown.

"He's visiting tonight with Victoria. Any news he has can be discussed later." Kaiba nodded to Mokuba, who nodded back, before closing the door and allowing the limousine to pull away from the sidewalk.

"You do realise I know what you're thinking... Don't you?" Alyssa asked Kaiba as soon as they started moving again.

"Well, I didn't realise you would eavesdrop on all our conversations..." Kaiba looked across the vehicle to see her face. ' _Her beautiful face..._ ' He thought.

"I don't mean to... It's just easier for me. There's a constant pressure in my head, but if I focus on someone's thoughts it relieves me from my headache."

"Alright... Do you want to play a game?"

Alyssa cocked her head to the side when Kaiba suggested they play a game. "I have to guess what you are thinking?" She smirked. "Yes, okay."

"What am I thinking?" Kaiba smirked back at her. ' _The very first Christmas at the Kaiba mansion, when I got my first duel-monsters card and Mokuba got a book_...'

"You're holding a card with a Blue Dragon on it. There's a large pine tree covered with decorations and Mokuba is holding a book..."

Kaiba's smirk dissipated and he stared at her. The vehicle had stopped outside the mall, but he didn't move.

' _This is a worrying predicament... Alyssa is very powerful, but I'm not sure if she can handle this properly. Her physical state is unknown to me, I should probably get her to a doctor..._ '

"Kaiba, are you alright?" Alyssa asked politely. He nodded and opened the door.

"Have you ever seen a store before Alyssa?" He asked as he took her hand gracefully and helped her out of the vehicle.

"No, I haven't... What is a store?" Kaiba shook his head in amazement and they walked together, hand in hand, to the large doors of the mall.

"You purchase items that you need from a store, such as food and clothes. Today, we are buying you clothes of your own..."

The large automatic doors opened quickly and Alyssa's sight was filled with crowds of people walking around a large area, with doors leading into shops on every floor. In the middle of this large area were two escalators, each moving in the opposite direction of the other. Jack-O-Lanterns adorned the doorways of each of these shops and Halloween decorations were on display in each of the display windows.

"What on earth..?" Alyssa stared around in amazement and looked back to Kaiba. "What's going on?"

"It's the month of October, which means Halloween is approaching..." Kaiba frowned as he added ' _And my birthday, it's only next week..._ '

"Halloween..." Alyssa gazed around and sighed happily. "Where are we going first?"

"I.. I don't know... I don't usually buy clothes for ladies..." He looked around wistfully and sighed.

"This way." Alyssa began walking into the crowd and Kaiba walked briskly to stay alongside her. She maneuvered around people and found a modest shop with elegant clothing on offer.

"How did you know this shop was here?" Kaiba followed her as she made a beeline for a clothing rack of dresses.

"I saw it from the door and I thought the dresses were divine!" Alyssa chose a vintage red dress from the rack and held it to her slight form. "I think it looks beautiful!"

"You can also try on the clothes you may buy..." Kaiba looked at the knee-length dress and nodded his approval. "I'll carry your choices for you if you like..." The dress was draped over his arm before his proposal was finished and she continued plucking various articles of clothing to add to her pile.

"You said I could try these on somewhere..?" Alyssa turned to Kaiba, who was unrecognisable under the pile of clothes.

"This way..." He led her to the changing rooms, where she stayed for half an hour. She wouldn't leave her cubicle for some reason, but during that time he received a call from Mike.

"Mr Kaiba sir? I regret to inform you that Ryuuka Takahashi died soon after his admission to Domino hospital two days ago..." Mike's voice was laced with surprise and sorrow.

"That's bad news. Damnit... Are you still coming over tonight?" Kaiba was momentarily confused as to what to do.

"Yes sir, we are." Their phone call was disconnected and Alyssa returned to his side.

"Seto? Is that you?"

Kaib stiffened and turned toward the sound of the alarmed voice. His former girlfriend was standing no more than ten feet away from them.


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight: Conversing**

"Sayoku Mizuki, what a surprise..." Kaiba put an arm around Alyssa as he spoke. "How have you been?"

"To be blunt, terrible." Sayoku shook her head.

Alyssa gently pulled Kaiba down toward her and whispered "Her brother died..." in his ear. ' _She stole money from me to save him, how did he die?_ ' Kaiba thought harshly.

"My brother died Seto. The money I took was in vain, the treatment didn't help him and I... I..." Sayoku looked down. "I miss you..."

"Well I'm very sorry to hear about your brother, but I'm afraid I'm too busy to talk... And you can stop calling me Seto." He turned to Alyssa. "Shall we buy these for you?"

"Why is she wearing my clothes?" Sayoku blurted out. Alyssa narrowed her eyes.

"She hasn't anything else to wear... Ms Mizuki, we're both busy..." Kaiba began.

"Kaiba, I want to make amends, to prove that I still love you..." Sayoku walked up to Kaiba and handed him a small cloth bag. Then she turned around and disappeared into the crowd.

"Ignore her." Kaiba pocketed the bag and turned to Alyssa. "Are you hungry?"

"Perhaps, I'm not sure..." Alyssa frowned into the crowd.

"Let's get something to eat, shall we?" Kaiba took her hand, gaining her attention. He handed the clothes to Roland and left the shop in search of the food court, his hand clasped around Alyssa's.

"Do you mind where we eat?" He seemed keen to please her. Alyssa focused on him.

' _Sayoku is out of the picture..._ '

Alyssa smiled at him. "How about at that small coffee shop?" She pointed to the small establishment and Kaiba nodded in approval. They moved over to the café and took their seats, with Kaiba holding Alyssa's chair for her to sit before he did.

"You gave her a ring Kaiba, it's in that small bag she gave you..." Alyssa looked at the small menu with interest until a waiter appeared.

"I'd like an espresso please and I believe he wants a black coffee." Alyssa ordered and the waiter moved away. Kaiba stared across the table at Alyssa, his hand clutched tightly around the small nylon bag in his pocket.

' _She gave me back the ring? Why would she do that? How does that prove her love for me?_ ''

Alyssa snorted slightly, catching Kaiba's attention. "What are you laughing at?" He frowned at the slight girl.

Leaning across the table, Alyssa flashed a large smile and whispered; "Ms Mizuki followed us here. She's spying on us, she's suspicious as to who I am..."

Kaiba was both confused and angry. How dare she follow him? He took the bag from his pocket and opened it slowly. Taking the ring from the thin cloth, he inspected it carefully.

A perfectly cut clear diamond sat embedded in a gold band, adorned with smaller diamonds that changed colour when the light reflected off them. The engraving on the inside of the band was still as perfect as the day they were written. Kaiba decided that the ring wasn't actually worn at all and he carefully placed the ring back into the bag.

"I'm sure some charity shop would love to sell this and make a nice profit..." He smirked as the waiter returned with their drinks and Alyssa giggled slightly. "Alyssa, perhaps you shouldn't listen to what people are thinking all the time..."

"I can assure you, I don't mean to..." She looked down at her cup and swirled the froth that accumulated on the top. "It's annoying Kaiba, I heard Mizuki's thoughts too..."

"You did? Was she being truthful?" He leaned closer to her, his interest obvious.

"I shouldn't pry into her thoughts, you said so yourself..." Alyssa looked down at her cup and took a sip. "This is delicious!"

"We still have some shops to visit yet, as soon as you're ready we'll keep going..." Kaiba sat back in his seat and thought furiously about the ring. He then remembered Alyssa telling him that Sayoku had followed them, so he spoke quietly into the small microphone concealed within his collar.

"Roland, will you bring Alyssa to the next shop?"

"Of course sir."

Kaiba nodded to Alyssa and stood, meaning to find a pawn shop. Roland stood beside Alyssa and waited for her to finish, before taking her to another little clothes shop.

Her eyes widened as she found herself face-to-face with lingerie, underwear that was so much prettier than her plain white at home. She found many matching sets of all colours before she spotted a blue bra set that sparked a memory.

"The blue dragon that Kaiba loves..." she mumbled, reaching out a hand and grabbing the silky material. The Blue Eyes White Dragon's head rested on the right cup and his body was stretched over the left cup. The matching panties had his face on the left hip and Alyssa smiled. "It is a beautiful dragon..."

* * *

Kaiba found the shop he was looking for and entered briskly. He didn't like leaving Alyssa alone, even if Roland was with her. He waited somewhat patiently in line and set the ring on the table with a loud clang when he reached the end of the queue.

"I want to donate this. I don't require money and I don't want to buy it back again." He turned to leave but a horrified shriek stopped him in his tracks.

"Set... Kaiba! What are you doing?"

Sayoku's annoying voice penetrated Kaiba's ears. "I'm disposing of an item I no longer need Miss Mizuki. Now, if you will excuse me, I have someone important to look for..." He made to walk passed her when she threw out an arm across his chest.

"I still love you Seto..."

* * *

Roland was surprised by Alyssa's intellect. She had bought herself the clothing she needed and found a birthday gift for Kaiba too. As they waited in his limousine, she hummed a soft tune.

"How long do you know Kaiba?" Her quiet voice was suddenly directed at Roland.

"Hmm... Since he was adopted I suppose..." Roland's reply was thoughtful. It was a rare occasion that someone bothered to ask him anything while on the job. He would usually retain a cold demeanor until he returned home late at night, but Alyssa's gentle and curious voice had melted his façade.

"Oh... I see..." She looked out of the window and jumped slightly with excitement. "He's back!"

Kaiba opened the door and slipped inside easily, relaxing against the leather interior. Alyssa moved beside him and hugged him, much to his surprise.

"Alyssa, I'd like to ask a favour of you..." Kaiba began slowly. Alyssa raised her head and looked him in the eye.

"Anything..."

Kaiba tried to suppress the many irresponsible thoughts that flooded into his mind when she said "Anything". He frowned and prepared himself for her horrified face, but it never happened.

"I've invited Sayoku to dinner three days from now. I'd like if you could tell me if she tells the truth or not."

"But Kaiba, you said I shouldn't do that..." Alyssa's eyes widened. Roland raised an eyebrow and cleared his throat.

"Mr Kaiba, perhaps I should take another vehicle home..." Kaiba nodded and Roland stepped out of the limousine, speaking into his collar as he did.

"Alyssa, have you been ignoring people's thoughts?" He propped his arm around her as the vehicle began to move and looked straight into her aqua blue eyes. She nodded solemnly.

"I checked Sayoku's thoughts though, just in case the bag she gave to you was dangerous. But other than her, I haven't paid anyone any attention..." She looked down at the bottle green blouse she was wearing and sighed.


	10. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine: A Night To Remember (Part One)**

"This shirt was hers, wasn't it?" Alyssa stood awkwardly in the moving limo and moved to sit opposite Kaiba. "And you still miss her..."

"I miss who I thought she was. I thought she cared about me and all she did was pilfer thousands of dollars from my accounts to pay for her brother's hospital care." He stopped and smirked cruelly. "Karma bit back however, as you confirmed, her brother passed away. Her stealing was futile."

Alyssa listened carefully to his every word and her expression softened. "But you cared for her."

"Did I really? Who knows? I can't confirm nor deny that..." He turned to look outside the window and crossed his arms.

The limousine came crawling to a halt in front of the Kaiba Mansion and Kaiba stood briskly out of the vehicle. He helped Alyssa bring her many different bags of clothing upstairs to her bedroom and paused when he saw a bag labelled "The Object Shop". It was folded over and taped shut with cellotape, preventing him from seeing inside.

"Alyssa, what's in here?" Holding the bag for her to see, he pondered opening it and looking inside. ' _I can't, it may be something private..._ '

"Oh, it's something I saw in a shop window and Roland said I could buy it..." Her slim fingers wrapped around the small bag and she took it delicately from his grasp. He quirked an eyebrow as she tucked the small package under her pillow.

"Humph..." His snort caught her attention and Alyssa looked back over to him. "A friend of mine and his wife are coming over for dinner tonight. They should arrive in a few hours, so if you want to relax or prepare for dinner in the meantime, you may. I'll be in my office working should you need me."

Alyssa nodded in reply and Kaiba held out his hand. She placed her small hand carefully into his and he brought it gracefully to his lips. Alyssa blushed as he gently kissed her hand and whispered "I'll see you later...", before leaving her room.

She turned on her heel and just as she was about to tend to her new clothes, Anna knocked on her door.

"Miss Alyssa?" When Alyssa asked for her to enter, Anna rushed in and closed the door quickly. "I bought you a 'Welcome to the Kaiba Mansion' gift! Now, I know you haven't been... Out and about very much, so I thought I'd help you out to start..."

She moved toward her with a small parcel wrapped with silver paper and handed it to her. Alyssa carefully tore the paper and revealed the makeup case inside. She looked at it in confusion and the returned her attention to Anna. "What is it?"

"It's a makeup case! Some women wear makeup to enhance their features! I thought it would be fun to let you try..." Alyssa nodded and focused on the slight brown shade on Anna's eyelids. "Yes, I'm wearing some now..."

"I.. I don't know how to use it I'm afraid... But thank you so much for buying me such a lovely gift!" Alyssa smiled a genuine smile at Anna, who blushed slight and shrugged.

"We can pick out your outfit and I can help you with the makeup if you want..." She looked down at her black shoes bashfully and waited for Alyssa's gentle reply.

"Yes please..."

* * *

Kaiba was staring hard at his laptop screen. Reports about Alyssa were opened, some recent but mostly accounts of her first five years in isolation. They were horrifying to read, and Kaiba felt angry with her adoptive father for subjecting her to such ill-treatment. As he was mentally scolding Ryuuka Takahashi, he found a report written by him. Curious, he opened the file.

 **This is by far the worst thing I have ever done. They refer to my sweet child as Experiment Thirteen, and have given her so many different drugs that I am shocked to see her standing. Every day I witness her growth as any father should, but alas, her growth has been hurried by harmful narcotics in her system. They try to assure me that these drugs are safe, but how would they know? This is nothing more than an experiment to them, these sick-minded psychopaths in their white laboratory coats, constantly scribbling onto clipboards or typing up reports on her behaviour.**

 **She celebrated her ninth birthday yesterday and as I always do, I brought her the box of chocolates after hours. She was delighted to say the least, she seems to enjoy talking to me. She does not know who I really am to her and hopefully, she never will. But if she is told sometime in the future of my relation to her, I would like to leave her a letter.**

 **I have handwritten this letter for my darling child in the hopes that one day, she will want to know of her adoptive father. The letter is hidden in a locker in Domino train station, a number very dear to my heart. The combination for the lock is the same as the number of the locker. I hope she is clever enough to find it.**

Kaiba sat back and ran his hands over his face. ' _Even for a wealthy CEO, this is becoming more and more difficult by the minute... '_

He checked his watch and saw that it was nearing a quarter to six. Standing shakily, he closed down his laptop and made his way from the office to the dining room. Mokuba sat at the table, phone in hand.

"Good evening Mokie."

"Good evening Nii-sama!" Mokuba pocketed the phone quickly and flashed a smile at Kaiba. "Where is Alyssa?"

"In her bedroom I assume..." Kaiba mumbled, before hearing Anna giggling like a young school girl behind the dining room door.

"Go on in Miss Alyssa!" Anna's excited voice caught Kaiba's attention and the mention of Alyssa's name caused him to turn around in his seat and watch the doorway.

Alyssa walked in slowly, wearing a red and white dress that fell to just below her knees. It was a vintage style dress, with ruffles and lace adorning the hemlines and sleeves that flowed down her arms like waterfalls as far as her inner elbow. Her white stockings and red shoes completed her outfit, though her entire image was made up of many more components.

Anna had expertly tied her hair into a typical crown fashion, twisting the ringlets of hair beside Alyssa's face and pulling them back to behind her head. Here, they were held with a silky red ribbon and her hair flowed naturally down her back. Her bangs were left free to fall around her face slightly, having been curled gently to form soft waves.

A thin black line was drawn across the base of her eyelid, and mascara had been swiped across her long lashes. Her lips were glistening more than usual, helped by Anna's choice of lip-gloss.

Kaiba stood up in shock and awe. He stared at the young lady who was blushing heavily in front of him, before extending his hand once again. Timidly, she placed her hand in his and he led her over to the table, where he took her chair from under the table and held it for her. She giggled and took her seat.

"Alyssa, I must say, you look enchanting..." he muttered, as he took his seat next to her. She realised with a gasp that he had switched her seat with Mokuba's, so now she sat beside Kaiba and Mokuba sat across from them. "I feel underdressed..."

"Alyssa might just be a little bit overdressed Seto..." Mokuba attempted to correct Kaiba, which earned him a playful glare from his nii-sama.

"Sir, Mr Simm and his wife have arrived." Anna announced.

"Show them in Anna, please." Anna was surprised that he had bothered to say please, but left to do as requested. Kaiba kept his eyes on Alyssa as he spoke, then thought of something worrying. "Alyssa, Mike and Victoria know nothing of your gift. It's best that you say nothing out of the ordinary, alright?"

"Yes Kaiba, of course." She smiled and looked down at the table. The table cloth was white and ironed without even a trace of a crease. There were black place mats underneath white square plates and the silver fork and knife were polished until they shone.

Ornate candle holders rang down the centre of the table, delicate black bands of metal wrapped around tall white candles. Small black and white menus were sat on the plates. Alyssa took hers and looked over the dishes on offer.

"Mr Kaiba?"

"Mike, come right in." Kaiba stood when Mike addressed him and walked into the hall to greet him and his wife.

"I have the reports here for you sir..." There was the faint sound of papers being ruffled and a grunt of approval from Kaiba.

"Perfect. Excellent Mike. I'd like to introduce you to Alyssa Takahashi, Mr and Mrs Simm. Alyssa? Will you come out here please?"

Alyssa stood carefully and walked out into the hallway.


	11. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10: A Night To Remember (Part Two)**

Michael Simm was a relatively tall man, broad shouldered and well built. His hazel eyes were kind and curious, and his black hair was styled neatly. The navy suit he wore matched his wife's dress and he had one arm wrapped around his wife's waist.

His wife was truly a diamond among the rocks; Alyssa felt very inferior in her presence. Her long, dirty blonde hair was curled and draped over her left shoulder. Her navy dress was long and simple, but elegant with small deimantes adorning the hemline.

Her porcelain skin contrasted against the navy-blue colour on her eye-lids and her lips were the colour of a ripened apple. Diamonds glisted in her ears and on a short golden necklace around her neck.

Victoria gasped when she saw Alyssa and extended a hand straight away. "Why hello! My name is Victoria, how are you?"

Alyssa took her hand and shook it gently, taking note of her perfectly manicured nails. "I'm in good health Mrs Simm, how are you?"

"Oh please dear, call me Victoria! I'm astounded with you..." She gasped and looked to her husband. ' _He said she was held in isolation all her life, how is she so well mannered..?'_

"Alyssa, I've asked Victoria over so she can talk to you about certain aspects of adult life..." Kaiba's awkward explanation of the couples' visit worried Alyssa and she focused on his thoughts. ' _I ought to seat everyone for dinner..._ '

"Shall we sit down for our meal now Kaiba?" Alyssa smiled prettily at Kaiba and he nodded.

"I was just thinking that Alyssa, we should sit for our meal. Mokuba is waiting for us in the dining room..." As Mike and Victoria moved into the dining room, Kaiba caught Alyssa around the waist and whispered in her ear. "Victoria may ask you some questions at the table. Answer her honestly, but nothing that might confuse her. Alright?"

"Of course Kaiba. I won't..." Alyssa smiled reassuringly at him and he smirked.

"Thank you Alyssa..." His cobalt blue eyes twinkled slightly and he removed his arm from her waist. Taking her hand, they walked into the dining room together.

After telling the chef which meal they each wanted, the entrées were brought out and there was a light conversation. The evening was going quite well, until the intermission between the starter course and the main course.

"So Alyssa, I was told that you weren't around many other girls for a long time. Is that right?" Victoria's caring voice reached Alyssa's ears from across the table and she looked up from her lap to reply.

"I knew Matron and a nurse called Mary, but besides them, no I wasn't." She smiled politely at Victoria, who nodded.

"And tell me, did either of them explain something called a menstrual cycle to you?"

"Yes, Mary did. She also told me that I was being given a contraceptive pill that would inhibit mine." Victoria's eyes widened and she nodded again. Anna walked in with the next course and placed dishes on the table.

"What about sexual intercourse?"

Alyssa dropped her glass with horror, bringing her hand to her mouth in an attempt to contain the sip of water she had just taken and looked over toward Kaiba. He immediately sat up straighter and raised an eyebrow.

"Something the matter Alyssa?" He knew exactly what was wrong. When Victoria mentioned intercourse, his teenage brain conjured up certain images of him and Alyssa. But she said she wouldn't pay attention to what other people were thinking...

She coughed slightly and then tried stifling a laugh. "I wasn't told directly, I was given a textbook and told 'That's all you need to know...'" She looked back over at Victoria, who smiled at her.

"Well that's all there is to it. Our visit tonight is solely a social matter after all!" She happily began eating her food. Anna moved over and swept up the glass shards. Alyssa finished her meal and excused herself.

"I'm rather tired right now, I shall have to excuse myself for tonight..." She stood carefully and bowed slightly, before smiling at Kaiba and walking out of the room.

"She's still adapting to a real life at the moment, I apologise if she offended you." Kaiba didn't truly mean what he said. It was a fake apology, he knew he had nothing to apologise for.

"She is the sweetest girl I have ever spoken to..." Victoria smiled once again and Kaiba thought about Alyssa. "It seems my visit tonight was in vain, she says she knows all she really needs to know."

"Victoria, your visit wasn't in vain... You had the opportunity to speak to my boss and his newest family member." Mike took her hand under the table and squeezed it gently, reassuring her.

* * *

The conversation was light-hearted for the rest of the night until Mokuba, who had been present for the entire meal, decided to excuse himself. Mike and Victoria decided that they should leave also, so by ten that night, Kaiba was sitting by himself in the living room.

He sat on the light grey couch and typed up a memo on his laptop for tomorrow's workday. Forgoing his duties that had been scheduled for this evening, he was behind in both paperwork and conferences, which were very important at this time of year.

He was all too aware that it was the run-up to Christmas, when parents around the world would be buying his products for their children. Kaiba Corporation would be releasing three new devices this year, but that all depended on the feedback from the market research.

"So according to Hyaki, the feedback for the holographic pet device was excellent. The children in question loved the broad choice of pets available and the parents were satisfied with the device. Perfect." Kaiba smirked and made a change to the report on the screen, changing 'production - undecided' to 'begin mass-production'.

The phone in the hallway suddenly started ringing and Kaiba stood carefully to answer it. Without his knowledge, Alyssa stood at the top of the staircase, dressed in her new pajamas. They were red silk and perhaps a size too big for her. She hung closely to the wall, watching Kaiba in his relaxed state.

Long ago had he thrown off his tie and unbuttoned the top button of his dress shirt; his shoes were left beside his seat in the living room and he padded along the beige carpet in no more than his socks. Reaching the phone, he lifted the white handset and held it to his ear.

"Kaiba." His cold tone contrasted his relaxed demeanor and Alyssa brought a hand to her mouth in surprise.

"Yes Mike, everything is fine here. Did you make it home safely?" His tone relaxed and so did Alyssa. She allowed the pressure in her mind to increase slightly, finding no need to focus and 'eavesdrop' as Kaiba had called it.

He spoke for no more than ten minutes and replaced the handset. He stood exactly where he was and stared at the phone, deep in thought. ' _The mobile pet will have to start production in no less than a week...'_

Alyssa watched as his brow furrowed and he closed his eyes in exasperation. ' _Seto..._ ' It was unspoken, a single thought amongst all others in Alyssa's mind and yet, Kaiba turned and looked at her. His reaction was slow, surprised. Her reaction was much faster. She turned and ran to her room, but not before their eyes met.

He smirked and returned to the living room, picking up his laptop and continuing his work. He didn't realise that she hadn't said his name aloud; he assumed she had called his first name and became embarrassed.

* * *

She ran to her room and threw herself onto her bed. Kaiba heard her thinking his name! It was getting worse! She felt tears threatening to fall from her aqua blue eyes and gasped.

But back in the institute, she had no desire to be normal, because she didn't know what normal was. So she had no reason to cry. A tear crept over the waterline of her eye and fell down her cheek, leaving a thin wet trail. She wiped it quickly, but it was followed by more until she was sobbing uncontrollably into her pillow.

Victoria was thinking of her own daughter during the meal and Alyssa realised with dismay that no-one else could do what she could. She decided that she had to suppress her telepathy, so that she could control it instead of it controlling her. But another of Victoria's thoughts worried her more than her abilities; her relation to Gozaburo Kaiba.


	12. Chapter 11

**A/N: I'm trying to be consistent with my updates, but I don't think I'm succeeding :D**

 **I've gotten so many emails this past week, telling me that I have new followers or that some of you have favourited my stories! I can't describe how happy I am! Thank you all so so much! ❤**

* * *

 **Chapter Eleven: Decisions**

While Alyssa cried upstairs, Kaiba was deciding on what to do with her. He didn't know whether or not she should continue to stay at his mansion, nor did he know whether or not he should enroll her in Domino High.

Her saying his first name flashed through his mind and he couldn't help but think about how adorable she was. He checked his watch and decided to check up on her. Leaving his laptop on the couch, he made his way swiftly and quietly upstairs and to her room. Knocking twice, he heard a strange muffled sound.

"Alyssa?" Alarm laced his voice. The muffled sounds continued and he thought it was perhaps necessary to enter. "I'm coming in Alyssa..."

He opened the door slowly and cautiously looked inside. A miserable Alyssa was curled up on her bed, head shoved into her pillows and shoulders heaving up and down with her sobs. Leaving the door open, he walked swiftly to her side and placed a hand on her back.

"What's wrong?" Kaiba sat on the bed beside her quivering body and tried soothing the poor girl. He had little experience comforting Mokuba when he was sad, even though he had known the cause of his upset. Coupled with the fact that Alyssa was a girl, he wasn't sure how to help her. He rubbed her back gently in small circles and asked again, "Why are you upset? Was it Victoria?"

She stiffened a moment, before swallowing a broken sob and attempting to lift herself from her pillow. Kaiba held her shoulders and looked deep into her aqua blue eyes. She stared back into his cobalt blue eyes and wished she could be more like him. ' _I'd give anything to be normal..._ '

Kaiba raised his eyebrows in surprise. "How did you do that?"

"How did I do what?" Alyssa's voice rasped as a result of her crying. Kaiba frowned and cocked his head to the side.

"You said you wanted to be normal..." Kaiba didn't quite know how to finish his sentence. "But your lips didn't move." Alyssa's eyes watered over and Kaiba was taken aback.

"I didn't say a word. I haven't spoken aloud since dinner this evening..." She buried her head in his shirt and started crying again, wrapping her thin arms around his waist.

"But at the top of the staircase... And just now..." Kaiba was confused beyond belief. Unless... "Alyssa..?"

"Yes?" Her muffled voice was laced with hurt and Kaiba phrased his next question carefully.

"Can you talk to others in their mind?" She nodded sadly into his chest and he placed his hand on her hair. "Is that why you're upset?"

"I want to be normal Kaiba..." She cried deeply; thinking of Mokuba and Kaiba, how normal they were and how abnormal she was.

"Alyssa... I need you to stop crying..." Kaiba felt quite uncomfortable, hoping that Alyssa would calm down. She sniffed and stopped slowly, hiccupping and blushing. "Listen, we can focus on trying to control it instead of letting it control you, alright? But there's no need to cry about it..."

"I've never cried so much before..." She pulled away from his abdomen and rubbed her swollen eyes. "It's a strange, yet satisfying feeling..." She giggled and looked away, embarrassed. "Did you need something Kaiba? I just realised that you came into my room rather spontaneously and I daresay you heard my crying from downstairs."

"I actually wanted to check on you. I'm rather worried about leaving you alone tomorrow, I have to return to work and Mokuba has to go to school." Standing up quickly and walking over to the window in the room, Kaiba put his hands in his pockets and stared into the night sky.

"Will I have to go to school?" Alyssa had read about school in one of the books she had read in the institution, and remembered the unpleasant events that apparently took place there.

"I'm not sure, you seem to be learning rather quickly here. Perhaps you could accompany me to work... Provided you behave." Kaiba smirked and looked down at his socked feet.

"Of course I can behave!" She jumped up from the bed and ran over to him, putting her arms on his shoulders. "I won't feel safe without you somewhere near..."

"I see no problem with you coming, it is my company after all." He smirked and placed a hand on her cheek. "You'll need to find appropriate clothes..."

"Like what?" Walking over to her wardrobe, she pulled out dresses and shirts, decorating the floor with articles of clothing. "Hmm... You wear suits all the time, so perhaps..." She took out a black pencil skirt and found a ruffled red blouse. "Something like this?"

"That is perfect. Okay, you need to sleep and I need to work, so I bid you goodnight." He strutted past her, extending an arm and brushing her cheek as he walked by.

* * *

It was half past nine the following morning when Alyssa sat into the limousine next to Kaiba. She smoothed down her skirt and patted back her hair nervously. To look her best, she had tied her hair into a messy bun, leaving her bangs fall around her face. She wasn't used to using cosmetics just yet, but a thin coat of gloss covered her heart shaped lips.

Kaiba was impressed with her appearance. He worried that she might have dressed up too extravagantly again, but looking at her now he realised that she was capable of looking businesslike as well as beautiful.

The journey took less than ten minutes and soon the limousine pulled up in front of Kaiba Corporation's main building. Kaiba stood out of the vehicle first and held out his hand for Alyssa to take. Her small hand fit nicely into his and he helped her out of the vehicle. She gripped his arm and they walked through the large automatic doors.

"Mr Kaiba, how nice to see you again..." The blonde haired secretary at the front desk flashed a large fake smile. "Does she need identification?" Pointing rudely at Alyssa, she frowned at her.

"No, she's my assistant. Her name is Alyssa Takahashi, I want an ID card made for her immediately." Walking past briskly, Kaiba demanded the ID before pushing a button on a wall near metal doors. Alyssa looked at the button in curiosity, which had lit up when Kaiba pushed it.

There was an annoying 'ding!' sound, as the metal doors opened and revealed a small, red room. They stood inside and Kaiba pressed another button; this one had 'Office' written on it.

"Be warned, this moves..." His warning confused her, but as the doors closed and she felt an odd swaying sensation, she realised what he meant. She gripped his arm to stop herself from being thrown onto the floor of the elevator and Kaiba smirked. They reached the top floor in a matter of seconds and Kaiba brought her swiftly into his office. Once inside, he threw his trench coat onto the sofa in the corner and sank into his chair.

Alyssa moved quietly to his desk and inspected the mountainous amount of paperwork stacked high in front of him. While some papers had 'Urgent' written on them, most were concepts for upcoming releases and fan mail from fan girls.

Kaiba ran his hands through his hair in frustration and sighed. He looked up when he heard the rustling of paper and was surprised to see Alyssa sorting the paperwork into piles.

"This here is a pile for urgent work..." She gestured shyly to a small pile of letters and documents. "The other two piles will be for ideas and fan mail..." One of the envelopes addressed to "Seto Kaiba ㈏0" caught her attention and she picked it up with curiosity. "She sprayed something on it... To make it smell nice..."

Kaiba took the envelope from her and smelled it. "I do believe that is Sayoku's perfume." Having said this, he threw the envelope in his wastepaper basket. Alyssa giggled and took it from the basket, handing it back to him.

"You might want to read it..." She returned her attention to the paperwork and Kaiba opened the envelope.


	13. Chapter 12

**A/N: So many people have followed/favourited this story and I really want to say a big thank you to all of you! In reply to the review about Alyssa being 'brain dead', she was locked in a room all her life. Don't be so rude, please :L**

 **Anyways, read, enjoy and review! ❤**

* * *

 **Chapter Twelve: Hardly Working**

The perfume in the air increased in strength when Kaiba tore the plain white envelope open. The paper inside was a pastel pink colour, with elaborate writing conveying her message. Frowning, Kaiba started to read.

 _Dearest Seto,_

 _I know you asked for me to stop calling you by your first name, but old habits die hard. I want to clear the waters between us and apologise for my incredible behaviour several months ago. I know what I did was wrong. Stealing is unforgivable in any situation, but especially when I stole from someone I love, to try to save someone else I love._

 _My brother developed cancer some time after we stated dating officially and was dying at the time when I used your credit card. He was hanging on by a thread and I really needed the money to get him the treatment he needed. As it stands, the money did nothing for him and he died three months back..._

 _I did love you and I still do, I was all too ready to marry you and spend the rest of my life with you. I still want that with you... I gave you the engagement ring you gave to me, in the hopes that you would give it back to me and accept my apology. I hope that this letter will convince you that I still want you Seto..._

 _Love you forever,_

 _Sayoku_

Kaiba growled and scrunched the paper into a rough ball. Throwing it into the wastebin, he stood up from his large swivel chair and walked over to the large windows in his office.

A knock at the door caught Kaiba's attention and he gave his secretary permission to enter the room.

"I'm afraid I need a photograph of her sir, for her ID..."

"I'll get it for you by six." She bowed and made to leave the room, glaring at Alyssa as she did. Alyssa stared blankly back at the ignorant blonde, before returning her attention to the papers on Kaiba's desk.

' _I should bring her to a doctor soon, and have her officially registered as a resident of Japan..._ ' Kaiba continued to look out of the window, thinking of all the extra paperwork that would include. He suddenly thought of the adoption papers Takahashi would have had to sign in order to adopt Alyssa. ' _Those papers would help this situation..._ '

"I'm sorry, I seem to be causing so much hassle..." Standing up straight, she looked toward the desk where Kaiba was about to take his seat again.

"It's fine. Tell me, did you find a document about a pet simulator device?" He moved away from his desk, deciding not to sit as Alyssa remained standing, and watched as she searched through the stack of papers labelled as 'Urgent'.

"I'm sure I saw something like that only a moment ago..." She frowned at the paperwork and began scrutinising each document before disregarding them.

"Alyssa, look up a moment will you?" At Kaiba's request, she looked up at him and was shocked when he apparently took a photograph of her on his phone.

"What on earth are you doing?" Blinking, she watched as Kaiba stared at his phone for a moment, before facing her again.

"I need a photo of you for your ID card..." Kaiba held up his phone again and Alyssa smiled slightly. He smirked. "Perfect."

"Do you usually procrastinate?"

"No... I'm not procrastinating, you need ID to enter this building." He defended himself firmly, putting his phone into his pocket and helping her find the document he asked for. Finding it, he smirked and sat in his chair. "Feel free take a seat Alyssa, we're here for a while..."

Alyssa complied and sat in the chair in front of his desk. She looked at the pile of fan-letters and unconsciously began to read some of them. "Kaiba? Might I ask you a question?"

"I suppose you can..." He was reading down through the report on the pet simulator and signing the relevant areas that needed his signature in order to begin mass production of the device.

"Um.. When Gozaburo fell from the window..." She trailed off as Kaiba stopped and looked up at her. She made sure not to pay attention to his thoughts and hoped that she didn't allow him access to hers. "I recall you saying his body was never recovered..."

"Yes?" She expected him to be angered by the very mention of Gozaburo's name, yet his tone of voice seemed interested to hear her question. She took a deep breath and continued.

"That means that there is a slight possibility, if any, that he's still alive... Right?" The pressure on her mind was almost nonexistent, which was unusual to her. Kaiba sat back in his seat and brought one hand to his jaw, while he rested his other hand on the arm of the chair.

"Yes. I suppose there is a chance... What made you think of that?"

"How old would he be now?" Kaiba was dumbfounded.

"I'm thinking of him now, can't you tell?" He watched as she blushed and looked down at her lap.

"I'm respecting your privacy and ignoring your thoughts." She nodded in approval and looked up to see an amused Kaiba. "What?"

"Nothing..." He smirked and rubbed his hand over his face. "Were you not paying attention to me last night during dinner?"

"No, I was focused on Victoria. That's where my question arose from..." Kaiba almost fell away with relief.

"Thank Ra for that... Why Victoria? What has she to do with Gozaburo?"

"Thank Ra for what? What were you thinking?" Alyssa looked at him curiously, cocking her head to the side. Kaiba smirked again and leaned over the table toward her.

"Nothing." She leaned toward him and stared into his cobalt blue eyes.

"Victoria thought of Gozaburo last night while talking to me..." She turned her head away from him and sighed. "She...complimented him on my brainwashing, like she knows him..." Looking back at him, she frowned slightly. "I remember how he looked when you last saw him, yet Victoria's image of him seemed older..."

"Alyssa, how certain are you of this?" Kaiba's voice was urgent, and she could sense his worry in the tone of his voice.

"I... I've never been wrong before Kaiba... Then again, I only ever dealt with one person at a time, never a room full of people. I suppose there was a possibility that I was unfocused because of the amount of people present..."

"I want to rule out the possibility of Victoria being affiliated with Gozaburo as soon as possible..." He stood and began pacing back and forth behind his desk. "How could you determine her relationship to him without being nosey?"

"I have a number of questions I may ask either you or Mike, but I want to write them down first." Alyssa smiled at him, hopefully in reassurance and he smirked back at her.

"Alright. I'll want to see the questions first though, to ensure that they won't offend anyone."

"Of course!" Alyssa giggled and half turned toward the door. "Your secretary is back."

Kaiba walked briskly to the door and pulled it open, revealing the blonde waiting outside.

"Mr Kaiba, I was just about to knock..." Her words failed her, as he took the letters from her hand and slammed the door shut. He skimmed through the letters and found none of interest, dropping them into his desk and checking his watch.

"It's lunch time, let's go get lunch." Alyssa nodded and Kaiba grabbed his trenchcoat. Walking through the large doors and stepping into the elevator, Alyssa latched onto his arm and focused on her shoes, thinking of the situation at hand. Kaiba was worried about Victoria knowing Gozaburo, which meant that it was a serious problem. She only hoped that they could eliminate the possibility and the lingering feeling that she was correct as always.


	14. Chapter 13

**A/N: Another update! I've lost track of how consistent/inconsistent I'm being with my updating, sorry to anyone following!**

* * *

 **Chapter Thirteen: Tension**

After their short lunch in a small café, Kaiba and Alyssa returned to KaibaCorporation and continued working. Kaiba focused as much of his attention as possible on the reports for the new releases that the company would be promoting in the run-up to Christmas. Alyssa was shown her way around the large building, and sent on short errands to various areas in the building.

At around four that evening, Kaiba had Alyssa sit down in his office. "I have arranged for you to see my family doctor. There's no need to worry; if you answer his questions truthfully, he may be able to help you."

Kaiba watched as her expression changed and she timidly asked when the appointment was scheduled for. She didn't seem too happy with the arrangement, but was satisfied to learn that the appointment wasn't until the following day.

"Um, Kaiba..." Her quiet voice was worried about something, he could tell.

"Alyssa?" His reply made her smile slightly and blush. She fiddled with he hem of her skirt and sighed.

"The doctor won't hurt me... Will he?" Kaiba frowned at her.

"No."

"No needles? Injections? Anything?"

"Nothing of the sort. Why?" Alyssa looked up at the ceiling.

"I haven't had a good experience with doctors until now. They were always poking me and taking blood samples from me and... Asking me weird questions..."

"My doctor is nothing like that. You have nothing to worry about Alyssa, I can stay with you while you see him and if you feel uncomfortable, I'll end the meeting. Alright?" Alyssa looked back into his cobalt eyes and smiled a big smile.

"Thank you Kaiba." Despite the fact that she had only been staying with them for less than a week, she had seen and heard enough from Kaiba to know how he would react to certain stimuli. For example, she knew he rarely said 'please', 'thank you' and 'you're welcome', unless he was talking to Mokuba. Even toward Mike, one of his closest friends, Kaiba was cold and straightforward.

Thinking of Mike, Alyssa recalled Victoria and her image of an aged Gozaburo. The image unsettled her; Kaiba's image was of a man in his late forties, with dark grey hair and few wrinkles. Victoria's image on the other hand, was a wrinkled, light grey haired man in his sixties. Alyssa was well aware of the emotions sometimes connected to memories and noted that there was a fondness connected to Victoria's image of Gozaburo. Deep in thought, she almost missed Kaiba's quiet reply.

"You're welcome." Stunned, she turned to face him and saw his embarrassed expression.

"Kaiba..."

"I need to check something. I'll be back momentarily." He stood briskly and left the room, much to Alyssa's amazement. She shrugged and continued with the work Kaiba had asked her to do.

* * *

He stood outside the door of his office and sighed, running his hands down his face in frustration. ' _What's wrong with me? She's affecting me in so many ways, it's becoming unbearable!_ '

His annoying blonde secretary suddenly appeared at the top of the stairs and took a step back in fright.

"Mister Kaiba! Oh, I was just about to give you the girl's ID..." She was panting heavily after climbing the fourteen flights of stairs and Kaiba wondered why she hadn't used the elevator instead.

"About time." He snatched the card from her hand and waved his hand is dismissal. She turned and began to walk in the direction of the staircase when his exasperated voice stopped her in her tracks. "We have an elevator for a reason." She spun around and flashed a large smile.

"Well Mister Kaiba, I'm on this new diet and it says I need to walk..."

"Save it. I didn't say I cared." He opened the door to his office sternly and walked inside, leaving his ignorant secretary standing at the top of a very long staircase, debating whether or not her new diet was worth it anymore.

Kaiba closed the door to the office and leaned his forehead against the door. ' _I'm losing my mind..._ ' He thought irrationally. He suddenly heard something that shocked him to his core, making his heart beat faster and his body temperature increase.

' _He's such a distraction... Does he realise how good he looks from behind?_ '

"Alyssa..? What did you just say?" Turning around slowly, he faced a scared Alyssa who blushed a deep scarlet and shook her head.

"I... I said nothing..." She began walking slowly backwards, simultaneously shaking her head and waving her hands in an innocent manner in front of her face. Kaiba started to walk toward her, his face mostly hidden by his bangs. Alyssa suddenly bumped into his desk and jumped slightly in fright, turning around for a mere moment to see what she had walked into. When she turned around to face him again, he was directly in front of her. She opened her mouth and squealed slightly, only to have her mouth blocked by his large hand.

"You did it again? Communicating without speaking?" His deep voice was curious, and Alyssa nodded her head in relief. She honestly thought he would have been angry with what she said, but he displayed no such emotion.

Instead, his hand was pressed gently against her mouth and his body was so very close to her body that she could feel his body-heat. He leaned his forehead against hers in a spontaneous movement and whispered; "Do you know how many other girls would love to be in your position? Working with me? Living with me?"

She shook her head, of course knowing next to nothing about his fame and reputation. He smirked and shook his own head.

"Even when I was in a relationship with Sayoku, she never officially lived at the mansion. She might have stayed for a night or so, but she didn't _live_ there..." He took his hand away from her mouth and pulled his head away. Staring into her aqua eyes, he continued his confession. "And yet, I welcomed you into my home. Why?"

His question was met by silence, as Alyssa simply stared back into his cobalt blue eyes and listened intently to the words he had already spoken; every word repeating themselves in her mind; as she wondered why, indeed, had he let her live in his large home. She had no doubt that she had interrupted his lifestyle and she felt extreme guilt when she thought of that. She turned her head away and looked down at the floor in response.

"Do you want me to leave?" Her question thickened the tension in the room and Kaiba struggled to silence a growl threatening to escape his mouth. He moved away from her, much to her relief and paced back and forth in front of her.

"I want nothing of the sort." When he finally had his emotions under control, he felt able to answer her query and tried identifying why he was acting like an infatuated schoolboy. ' _Perhaps you're acting this way BECAUSE you're an infatuated schoolboy?_ ' Kaiba could not suppress the growl that left his throat in response to his conscience.

Alyssa heard the deep growl and was shocked at her reaction to the strange noise that Kaiba emitted. Her heart skipped a beat and her breathing rate increased; her palms became clammy as she began to perspire in the hot room; but, the most confusing part of her reaction was the heat she felt between her legs. She had noticed it first when Kaiba stood close to her, but his growl made it worse and she shifted her legs in discomfort.

"Kaiba, I need to sit down..." He nodded toward his large chair and Alyssa shook her head. "I'd like to sit on the couch please." He raised an eyebrow, but nevertheless allowed her to walk past him and toward the couch. She wanted to avoid his chair because it smelt of him, but she had completely forgotten the trenchcoat thrown carelessly across the small couch. The smell hit her nose like a fist and she pushed it to one side, trying to ignore the delicious scent.

' _There must be something really wrong with me! I can't think right! I'm thinking confused things about Kaiba and I don't want to!_ ' Alyssa's inner turmoil didn't go unnoticed by Kaiba and he checked his watch hastily.

"It's time to go home Alyssa..." Saying her name now sounded dirty and Kaiba cursed mentally at the very thought of making the innocent beauty in front of him dirty in any way.

"About time..."


	15. Chapter 14

**A/N: So sorry for the delay! Next chapter! I hope everyone has a brilliant Christmas! I'll try to update again before Christmas! Read, enjoy and drop a review!**

 **Also, thank you so much to those who have followed/favourited!**

* * *

Chapter 14: Doctor Visit

Alyssa couldn't remember how she returned to the mansion the night before. She vaguely remembered sitting across from Kaiba in the luxurious limousine and choosing to watch the passing scenery rather than face his questioning blue eyes. She remembered entering the mansion and merely nodding at Mokuba's greeting. She walked slowly to her room and collapsed onto her bed, confused and exhausted.

She was now showering in her en-suite bathroom and thinking about what Kaiba had said to her in his office. He thoroughly confused her, but her reaction to him confused her even more. She shook her head and turned off the shower, wrapping herself in a fluffy white towel and walked out into her bedroom.

"Oh, uh..." Kaiba stood awkwardly at the end of her bed waiting for her, unprepared to see her in such a vulnerable way. She stopped in the doorway and stared at him shocked.

"K... Kaiba?" She blushed and looked down at herself, suddenly worried that the towel wasn't big enough to cover her tiny body. "What are you doing in here?"

"I actually wanted to apologise for what happened yesterday in my office..." He looked toward the door to the hallway, a slight blush on his cheekbones. "But now I think I'm just going to make things worse..."

"No no! I'm sorry! I realise that I'm interfering with yours and Mokuba's lifestyle, and I feel terrible for that!" Alyssa exclaimed, extending a hand in objection. Kaiba turned back around to face her, and noticed her towel slipped slightly from under her arms. Instead of looking away as he should have, he stared at the revealed skin and felt his heart quicken.

"We have a busy day today, going to the doctor and having Sayoku over for dinner..." Kaiba forced his eyes to look into her eyes and he tried to catch himself before he emotionally fell. His words were rushed, hurried; and Alyssa knew he was bothered by something.

"Is there anything in particular I should wear?" She didn't know whether to dress casually or to dress in better attire for both meetings. He randomly thought of her wearing nothing more than red lacey lingerie and tried to discount the thought as soon as it appeared.

Alyssa wasn't ignoring Kaiba as she had been the day before and was perfectly aware of his thoughts. She gasped and blushed, taking a step backwards and looking all around her in something close to fear. "Kaiba!"

Her accusation alerted Kaiba to her knowledge of his thoughts and he couldn't contain himself. He closed the gap between them and wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her close. "You have no idea what you do to me Alyssa..." Kaiba's whispered statement sent shivers down her spine, though she didn't know why. "That's why I took you home. That's why you're still here. I spoil you, even though I've never spoiled anyone before. I talk to you. I enjoy being in your company..."

"Kaiba, I don't understand... I thought you still wanted Sayoku..." Alyssa's voice trembled and Kaiba's grip became tighter on her waist. His other hand rested on her cheek and his thumb rubbed along her cheekbone.

"No." His response was simple, short and to the point.

"So why is she..?" Alyssa was cut short when Kaiba pressed his lips gently to hers. Her eyes widened at the new sensation, her blush deepening in colour as she realised that he was kissing her.

She watched as his eyes closed and he hummed with content, bringing his hand to her hair and stroking his fingers through her brown locks. The arm around her waist pulled her closer to his body and she carefully rested her hands on his chest. She closed her own eyes and kissed him back, despite her lack of experience.

He pulled away after a moment and smirked. "I was expecting you to move away, or to slap me or something..."

"I couldn't do that to you.." Alyssa began to move away, only to realise that in doing so her towel would fall from her body. She gasped and moved closer to Kaiba, looking down at her nearly revealed chest. Awkwardly, she attempted to grab the towel with her hand but it proved to be nearly impossible.

"What are you doing?" Kaiba's voice sounded amused and Alyssa looked up at him.

"If I move away, my towel will fall..." His smirk became more pronounced and his arm loosened its grip. Alyssa felt the towel beginning to fall.

"I don't see a problem with that..." His smirk made Alyssa's insides melt and she giggled.

"I see a problem with it, to be quite honest. I need to be dressed and ready for the doctor..." She looked down at herself again and sighed.

"I'll look away." Kaiba made to move away, but Alyssa held him where he was. Kaiba smirked. "Trust me."

Alyssa nodded and Kaiba turned his head toward the outer door before moving away from her quickly, letting the towel drop. He contemplated turning around, but knew he shouldn't lie to her. She picked up the towel and draped it around herself swiftly, running into her walk-in-wardrobe. Kaiba smirked and left the room, content with how his rare apology had been taken.

* * *

"Now Alyssa, how long have you been hearing thoughts?" Alyssa and Kaiba finally found themselves at Dr Wasaki's office in downtown Domino. Doctor Wasaki was a short man, with a receding hairline and small round glasses. Only minutes into their meeting and he was already questioning her about her abilities.

"For as long as I can remember... Since I was three perhaps?" She sat in a pair of dark skinny jeans and a printed red T-shirt, hands clasped on her lap and a blush on her cheeks. Kaiba sat across from her, paying scant attention to Wasaki and enjoying making Alyssa blush.

"This is alot to take in... Alyssa, does this mean you have stunted knowledge?" Wasaki looked up from his note taking and into her aqua blue eyes.

"Kaiba and Mokuba have taught me so much in the few days I've been living with them. I don't know how much I missed out on when I was trapped, but I'm pretty sure the Kaiba brothers are helping me to catch up." She smiled politely at the doctor and waited for his reply. He wrote something else down before taking off his glasses and rubbing his eyes.

"I know Mister Kaiba asked me not to do this, but I want to ask anyway. Could I take the smallest of blood samples _just_ for analysis? It might shed some light on this mystery." Alyssa looked at Kaiba in fear and he made his way to her side.

"It might help him help you Alyssa... Neither of us will force you, but I think you could do it." Kaiba's voice relaxed her and she nodded at him. He smirked and nodded. Wasaki left the room for a moment to get the apparatus he needed, leaving Alysa and Kaiba alone.

She pressed her mouth to his in a spontaneous movement and kissed him, surprising Kaiba. He pulled away from her in disbelief and looked into her eyes.

"What are you doing Alyssa?" He was amused, but shocked. Alyssa blushed even more and looked down.

"I can't concentrate around you anymore... I'm sorry..." Before he could reply, Wasaki entered the room again and sat down beside Alyssa.

"This is going to rest in your arm for a minute or two. Then these little tubes will attach to it and take a small amount of blood. I'll only take two small tubes, okay?" Alyssa nodded. Kaiba began to move away, but Alyssa held him close.

"Stay." She whispered with panic in her voice. The needle punctured her forearm and she gasped slightly, but focused her attention on the handsome brunet in front of her. Wasaki attached the first tube and her blood flowed into the small vial. Alyssa stared into Kaiba's cobalt blue eyes and smiled. She then looked at his lips and bit her own. ' _What's wrong with me? Why do I want to kiss him that bad?_ '

"Well then Alyssa, I think we're done here. I'll run some tests on these and contact Kaiba as soon as I find something, alright?" Dr Wasaki stood as he spoke, putting the vials into a box and labelling it. Alyssa stood alongside Kaiba, who both bowed respectfully to the doctor and left the small office.


	16. Chapter 15

Chapter 15: Limousine Ride

As soon as they were in the limousine, Alyssa curled her legs onto the seat across from Kaiba and closed her eyes. Kaiba watched her silently for a while, before deciding to talk to her.

"Alyssa, why did you..."

"I'm sorry, I can't explain why I did that..." Alyssa interrupted him and frowned miserably. He smirked and shook his head with amusement.

"Alyssa, I'm not upset with you. I was surprised, coupled with the fact that Wasaki was only just outside the door..." Kaiba leaned forward and smirked once more. "Why won't you look at me?"

"You're very distracting Kaiba." Her reply was straightforward, and delivered almost as though she anticipated the question.

"I'm a distraction?" Kaiba chuckled darkly and as he back in his seat, another question bouncing around his head. "You... _Thought._.. Of my first name a few nights ago, but you continue to call me Kaiba aloud. Why?"

Alyssa opened her eyes and looked at him. "You introduced yourself to me as Kaiba and only Mokuba seems to call you Seto, that's why I call you Kaiba."

"So why did you think of Seto?" He raised an eyebrow and waited, watching as an unknown emotion crossed her face before she answered his question.

"I don't know..." She shrugged and closed her eyes again. He watched her for a moment longer, then chose to look out of the blackened window of his limousine.

When they arrived home, Mokuba was waiting anxiously in the front hall for them. "Seto, I've been thinking. Alyssa hasn't been out very much, so maybe we could all go somewhere together?" His excited grey eyes sparkled with excitement and Kaiba smirked.

"That sounds like a good idea Mokie. But we should make sure she doesn't get burned by the sun or sick..." He looked over at her thoughtfully. She was looking at his collection of movies with interest, probably trying to ignore Kaiba as best she could. "Alyssa? How would you like to go for a walk in a while?" Kaiba's voice broke her train of thought and she looked in his direction.

"Go for a walk?"

"Yeah! We can go to the park!" Mokuba's excitement was contagious and a smile broke out on Alyssa's face.

"It sounds like fun, but what is a park?" Mokuba's smile disappeared and Kaiba shook his head.

"We'll show you later. Mokuba, why don't you ask Anna to prepare a picnic basket for us?" Mokuba ran off and Kaiba walked upstairs to his office. He sat down and opened a file on his laptop, wanting to attempt to do some work before they left. However, Alyssa kept infiltrating his mind.

' _She's adapting to life like I never thought one could. If I bring her somewhere, she isn't afraid to look around. She's nervous around other people, but that's to be expected. She's a very quick learner too..._ '

His mind suddenly wandered to their kiss, the one that she instigated. Her lips were soft but desperate, as though she wanted to kiss him before but perhaps didn't realise. Comparing his kiss to hers, he realised that his was slower and seemed more heartfelt; he found it strange to be using such a word to describe one of his actions, but it felt appropriate in this circumstance.

He had noticed she was acting strange after the incident in her room earlier that morning, but he chalked it up to embarrassment. Never in a million years would he have guessed that she wanted to kiss him again. And he definitely wouldn't have anticipated her actions in Wasaki's office.

He sat back in his chair and looked at the forgotten half-written report on the laptop with disgust. He felt dirty; not only did he realise that he cared for Alyssa in more ways than one, it seemed he was confusing the poor girl with his own inner turmoil.

He rubbed his face with his hands, wishing not for the first time that he could retract all he had said and done with Alyssa. But as soon as he wished it, he disregarded it completely.

"SETO! WE'RE LEAVING NOW!" Mokuba's yell startled Kaiba and he stood briskly. He made his way outside to the limousine and sat opposite both Alyssa and Mokuba. He forced himself to look at Mokuba instead of Alyssa, noticing how the sunlight made her brown hair shine with a golden glow, giving her a more angel-like appearance.

"Seto, where were you? We were waiting for ages!" Kaiba frowned at his younger brother.

"I was in my office, working. And I doubt it was ages, you're still eleven years old." Mokuba scoffed and turned to Alyssa.

"Alyssa, what's your opinion of Seto?" She looked up at the ceiling of the limousine thoughtfully, pursing her lips in an adorable way. Kaiba watched, completely fascinated by her.

"I think he's nice. I watched a programme on television last night that analysed his personality, which I thought was a completely incorrect assessment of his character. They suggested that he was cruel and egotistical, and even though I know he likes to be right all the time, I still thought it was unfair of the people on the programme to say such negative things about him."

Mokuba and Kaiba stared at her in surprise; Mokuba's jaw dropped and his eyes widened at her opinion of his older brother. Turning to mentioned brother, Mokuba asked him his opinion of Alyssa.

"I couldn't possibly pass comment on a young lady Mokuba, especially not in her presence." Kaiba turned away and looked outside, wondering why this short ten minute journey suddenly felt so much longer.

The limousine finally stopped and Kaiba opened the door quickly. All three stood out of the limousine and Mokuba ran to the back of the vehicle to get the basket Anna had entrusted to him. Alyssa looked at the large metal gates with interest, noting the large wall that was connected to the gates.

"Is this a park?" She asked no-one in particular. Kaiba moved closer to her.

"Yeah, it's basically a large area for people to do whatever they want." Her eyes glistened and she turned toward him, a smile on her face. Kaiba involuntarily leaned toward her, but was interrupted by Mokuba.

"Hey guys! I see Yugi and the gang over there!" He ran toward the infuriating group of people with basket in hand, causing Kaiba to jump with surprise and then to growl.

"I can't stand them..." He muttered. Alyssa stared at him intently, making Kaiba feel slightly uncomfortable. "What?"

"You interrupted my train of thought..." She frowned. "Let's join Mokuba and the people you dislike, shall we?" Her smile returned and she began walking in the direction of the bench where Mokuba had run off to. Kaiba shook his head (Yet again) and followed.

"Kaiba! Mokuba said you were here too!" Yugi stood up from his seat and smiled warmly at the young CEO. His attention was soon diverted to Alyssa, who stood close to Kaiba and smiled nervously. "Hey! Who are you?"

"She's no-one of your concern. Mokuba, you asked for a walk, not a party..." Kaiba retained his cold persona and glared at the younger boy. Mokuba rubbed the back of his head and smiled. Alyssa took this opportunity to look around the group with interest.

There was this young man that Kaiba knew as Yugi, with spikey black hair and yellow bangs. Behind him was another man with a green jacket and white shirt, and greasy blonde hair. His arm was thrown over the shoulder of someone with brown hair in a weird shark-tail fashion. The two girls of the group were dressed in shorts; one girl had short brown hair and a pink and yellow shirt. The other girl had long red hair and a face that Alyssa recognised. She looked toward Mokuba with a smile on her face and he blushed, guessing what she was thinking.

"'Ey, is she Mokuba's girlfriend or sumfin'?" The blonde spoke aloud. Everyone in the group looked at him and then at Alyssa. Kaiba growled again and gained the groups' attention.

"No she is not, _Wheeler_. Mokuba, Alyssa and I are finding another bench. Find us when you finish socialising." The surname was said with contempt and Alyssa sensed his hatred for this man. She moved from Kaiba's side and retrieved the basket from Mokuba, giggling as she did.

"We'll take this too..." She winked at him and giggled again. "Have fun Mokuba, but not too much fun." He blushed again.

"Alyssa!"


	17. Chapter 16

Chapter 16: Day in the Park

Alyssa and Kaiba found another bench away from the group of friends and Alyssa placed the basket on the table. Kaiba had purposefully found a bench sheltered from the sun, under a large tree. Beside them was a small bin with two openings; one for recyclable rubbish and the other for waste.

"Who is that Wheeler person?" Alyssa asked Kaiba, sitting down and opening the basket. The group was still in view and Kaiba stared in that direction.

"He's the most pathetic human being I have ever encountered." The words rolled off his tongue like a well-practiced line he had used many times before. Alyssa watched him for a short while, before looking inside the basket and taking out a bottle of soda.

"Hmm... Well, he doesn't seem to be your favourite person in the group at all." She found two small cups and poured out soda, offering a cup to the brunet in front of her. He took it with a smirk and sat down opposite her, taking a sip.

"I can tolerate Yugi, the short guy with the spikey hair, but I can't the others." He set the cup down and looked up at Alyssa. "Why did you wink at Mokuba ?"

"Oh..." She giggled and took a sip of her drink. "The girl he thinks about a lot was there. Serenity I think is her name? That's why he suggested we come here."

"He wanted to come to the park to see Wheeler's younger sister?" Kaiba was surprised. He didn't realise Mokuba's fleeting crush was that important to him.

"That's his younger sister? They seem nothing alike..." She took some neatly wrapped sandwiches from the basket and put them on the table. "She was thinking about you Kaiba..."

"Me?" Kaiba raised an eyebrow at her and smirked. "Another fangirl?"

"No, she's afraid of you... When she looked at Mokuba, she was happy and wanted to talk to him. But when you and I joined them, she became afraid and stayed away." Kaiba frowned and looked toward the group. He didn't want to stop Mokuba from seeing girls, but he also didn't want him to grow up too quickly. Like him.

"She's afraid of me? That's a nice thought." He scoffed and picked up a sandwich.

"I don't see how, you're not very intimidating." She stood and walked behind him, meaning to put some plastic into the nearby bin. Kaiba stood up and moved toward her, grabbing onto her slim wrists and pushing her gently against the tree. She look up at him confused, her eyes widening slightly.

"I'm not intimidating, am I?" He pressed himself close to her body and lowered his face down to hers. She trembled and he watched her perfect lips quiver. He leaned in and kissed her gently, making her jolt with surprise.

"That... Isn't... What I meant..." She gasped when he pulled back. He chuckled and released her wirsts, meaning to move away. Her arms suddenly locked themselves around his neck and she pulled him down to her desperately, kissing him hard.

Kaiba was lost for words. This was the second time she had done this. He wanted to ravish her mouth, but was interrupted by a certain voice not too far away.

"Seto! Where are you?!" Alyssa was left breathless as Kaiba pulled away from her and straightened out his shirt. Looking over her, he smirked seeing her confused eyes and flushed cheeks.

"Oh Ra Mokie, he won't help us!" Serenity's voice stole Kaiba's attention and he looked over in the direction from which he thought they were coming. Mokuba and Serenity ran over to them, gasping for breath.

"Seto! Serenity's dog is stuck and we don't know how to free him!" The younger Kaiba had tears in his grey eyes as he told Kaiba about the predicament. Kaiba had a soft spot for animals, Mokuba knew that, but would he help a Wheeler?

"Where is he?"

"Follow us!" The four of them headed toward the more wooded area of the park, where tall coniferous trees and popular deciduous trees resided. From where they stood, Alyssa could hear a dog whining in pain and spontaneously lurched forward into the wood, needing to relieve the poor animal of its misery.

"Alyssa! Wait!" Mokuba ran after her, closely followed by Serenity and Kaiba. They found their way to the dog and were shocked to see Alyssa rubbing his head and calming him. He was a small Yorkshire Terrier, jet black and quite agitated.

"It's alright, we'll help you Tofu..." Assessing the situation, Alyssa saw clearly that while trying to jump between branches of a large tree, Tofu's paw became trapped between two splintered branches and his leash caught on another branch, higher up. She closed her eyes and moved away, trying to see the most painless way to free him.

"Serenity tried taking off his collar, but he snapped at her..." Mokuba's volunteered information contrasted with Alyssa's display of friendship with the dog, who let her mind him mere moments before. She sighed and looked at the tree again.

Mokuba moved slowly toward the dog and tried pulling the branch away from his paw, earning an earsplitting yelp of pain and a growl of discontent.

"No! Don't! It's hurting!" Alyssa grabbed her head and stumbled backwards. Kaiba immediately realised what was happening and stood behind her, ready to catch her if need be.

"Why won't the branch move? And we can't take off his collar! Oh Mokuba! What will I do?" Serenity began to cry and tried in vain to move the branch off Tofu's paw. Alyssa snapped and ran over to the tree, grabbing onto the lower branches and hauling herself up to the branch that held his leash.

The three people on the ground watched, completely stunned by her display. Kaiba's jaw dropped slightly as he watched her thin frame hit the branch twice, loosening it and setting the leash free. Tofu felt the leash loosen and pulled backwards. With one last yelp, he pulled himself free and limped over to Serenity.

The two younger audience members cheered in delight and told Kaiba that they were going to see a vet straight away. They took off with Tofu in Mokuba's arms, leaving Kaiba to deal with the young girl in the tree.

"Kaiba? I can't get down!" Alyssa's alarmed voice sang sweetly over his head, and he raised an eyebrow with interest.

"You climbed up the damn tree, surely you can climb down again?" He shook his head when she replied with a stubborn 'I can't!' and walked over to the tree. "Are you seriously going to make me do this?"

"Do what?" She sounded worried. Kaiba smirked. Then he grabbed a tree branch and hauled himself up to the branch where she sat no more than ten feet off the ground.

"How could a terrier get his leash caught up this high in a tree?" Kaiba cursed and muttered under his breath, finally reaching Alyssa. "Shall I show you where to put your feet?" She shook her head.

"I'm pretty sure I'll fall..." Alyssa looked down and her aqua eyes squeezed shut. "I... I will fall..."

"Shit... Fine..." Kaiba turned around on his branch so that he had his back to her. "Climb on."

"What?" Alyssa stared at his back, scared and confused. She remembered what had happened her the day before in Kaiba's office and still wasn't sure how to handle a situation like that again. "No, I'll... Um..."

"We'll be here all evening Alyssa, stop dawdling and get on my back." She timidly moved toward him and wrapped her arms around his neck, leaning on him as she wrapped her thin legs around his waist. He twisted around again and climbed down slowly, landing with a small thud on the dirt below. "You can let go now..." She took a deep breath and let her legs dangle, before unwrapping her arms and dropping down from his back.

"Thank you Kaiba..." She shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other, rubbing her arms and focusing on the ground. "We should go back to the bench, we left the basket unattended..." Kaiba nodded and they walked alongside each other silently, neither of them liking the uneasy silence between them.


	18. Chapter 17

Chapter 17: Special Dinner

The dining room table was set for four, though only three would actually be dining there. After finding their basket and returning to the limousine, Mokuba revealed that he would be hanging out with Serenity for dinner. Kaiba scoffed and said nothing on the subject, but Alyssa noted that Kaiba was proud of his baby brother for growing up just another little bit.

The large candles that adorned the table were a deep blue colour and the table cloth was blue to match, ironed so that not a single crease was seen. The cutlery was polished until they shone and the chairs were polished until they gleamed; large blue napkins lay underneath the forks and a shiny glass sat above the knives. The lights in the room were turned off, allowing the guests to avail of the candle light at the magnificent table.

This in depth description of tonight's dinner might insinuate that the Kaibas usually had mediocre conditions for their everyday meals, but this in fact happened every day in the Kaiba mansion. Kaiba assessed the room in a bored manner, having seen this sight all too many times before. He suddenly didn't want to see Sayoku again, to relive the horrible mistake he made over a year ago.

His mind drifted once again to Alyssa, and their interrupted kiss beneath the tree. If Tofu hadn't gotten stuck in that tree, Kaiba would have furthered their actions. The very thought of passionately kissing Alyssa made him blush with anticipation, but he shook his head and corrected himself before she entered.

She appeared at the door dressed in a modern royal blue dress that fell to her knees, hugging her small hips and outlining her small chest. She had her hair pulled over to one side and draped over her left shoulder, pinned in place with small brown pins that Kaiba couldn't see. Her open toe shoes were black and added another four inches to her height, making her just a little bit shorter than Kaiba.

Kaiba suppressed a growl when he saw her, instead walking over to her and looking her up and down. "You look amazing."

"Thank you..." She blushed and looked away, nervous and embarrassed. Kaiba was about to say something more when the doorbell rang and Anna entered the room flustered.

"M.. Mister Kaiba! It's..." She cupped her hands around her mouth and whispered: " _Her..._ "

"I invited her, see her in." Kaiba looked to the table and decided that he and Alyssa would sit opposite Sayoku. Anna reentered the room, followed by the young woman, and announced her arrival as though it hadn't been discussed moments before.

Sayoku wore a knee-length red dress with an open back and a small black bolero, to match her black stilettos. Her small black clutch purse was grabbed tightly in her thin hands and she had an air of arrogance about her.

"Sayoku Mizuki, glad you finally arrived." Kaiba stood with his hands in his pockets, leaning casually on the doorframe to the kitchen. Alyssa was waiting in the kitchen behind him, trying to tune in to Sayoku's thoughts and not Kaiba's.

"Sorry, I had something to sort out first..." She smiled and looked around the room. "I love the décor Seto, it's beautiful..."

"Don't call me that." Kaiba narrowed his eyes and motioned for her to sit down. "You know why I called you here."

"Se... Kaiba, you told me that young lady you were with at the mall was a psychic. You hardly want me to believe that, do you?" Sayoku raised her eyebrows and crossed her arms with disbelief. Kaiba smirked and called for Alyssa, who entered the room immediately. Sayoku narrowed her eyes.

"A pleasure to meet you Miss Mizuki." Alyssa bowed politely and took her seat beside Kaiba, earning a satisfied smirk from the young CEO.

"What is going on here?" Sayoku's voice rose several octaves with alarm, and Kaiba's smirk promptly disappeared.

"I told you. I'll ask you five questions, and if you lie Alyssa will know. If you answer truthfully, I'll stay in contact with you. If you lie, I'll have you banished from my home."

"Okay... Okay..." Sayoku rubbed her temples with frustration and sighed. "Fine Seto. I'll entertain your stupid mind game..." She sent a wary glance in Alyssa's direction.

"Excellent. First question, what killed your brother?" His blunt question was met with widened eyes and a squeak.

"Cancer. He died of cancer..." She lowered her voice and rested her arms on the table, holding her chin with her right hand. Alyssa remained quiet. Kaiba took this as an incentive to continue.

"Hmm... Question two, why did you follow Alyssa and I to that café?" Sayoku gasped in mock surprise.

"I didn't!" Kaiba frowned and narrowed his eyes. "Okay, I was curious to know who she was. I thought you were dating her..."

"Would it matter if I was?" Kaiba folded his arms and raised an eyebrow.

"Does that count as a question?" Sayoku crossed her own arms and looked him straight in the eye. Alyssa shifted slightly in her seat, uncomfortable with the conversation taking place. Kaiba noticed her change in posture and looked to her.

"Are you alright?" His voice softened as he addressed her and she gave him a fleeting look before frowning at Sayoku.

"Please stop..." Her plead was addressed to the well dressed lady across from her. Sayoku pursed her lips.

"Stop what?" Her eyes narrowed and Alyssa became very aware of her watery blue eyes as they stared hard at her. She shook her head and shifted herself again.

"Stop thinking of such preposterous events!" The demand burst out of her unsuspecting mouth and startled the others present. Kaiba rested a hand on her knee in comfort.

"What's wrong?" Alyssa stared hard at Sayoku, willing something to stop her from thinking offensive thoughts. Sayoku's eyes widened and she stood slowly.

"You know what I'm thinking? What? No, you can't!" Her voice rose to a shout and an accusing finger was pointed at Alyssa. "You dirty piece of..."

"MIZUKI!" Kaiba's bark was startling and Sayoku was interrupted. "I think we should get back to our questions, shouldn't we?" She nodded wearily and sat down again. Alyssa looked down at the hemline of her dress and stayed quiet.

"Yes, it would matter to me if you were dating again. I've seen no-one else since our breakup." Alyssa scoffed.

"Question four..." Kaiba sat back and thought for a moment. "Why didn't you tell me you needed money?"

"I felt rushed, panicked. And I didn't want you to think that I only wanted your money..." Sayoku looked to Alyssa, who shook her head in disgust. "That Alison girl is really distracting Seto."

"Her name is Alyssa. And I told you to address me as Kaiba." Kaiba frowned in disapproval before continuing on. "Last question, do you or did you ever love me?"

"Yes, I did and I still do..." Alyssa stood and bowed to Kaiba.

"I need to be excused for a moment. I'm sorry..." She walked briskly out of the room and Sayoku frowned after her.

"She's strange Kaiba. I never would have thought you like girls like her..."

"I never would have thought that I would date someone like you. Strange world, I suppose?" Kaiba glared at her coldly and tapped his fingers on the table.

He absently remembered tapping his fingers on the glass to Alyssa's room on the day he brought her home. She had emulated his actions which he had found strange at the time, considering he believed that she couldn't see through the glass. Everything made sense now and he smirked, thinking of her elated face as she learned something new.

" _Seto, can I speak to you for a moment please?_ " Kaiba was surprised to hear Alyssa call for him and stood quickly from the table. Ignoring Sayoku, he walked leisurely out of the room and into the front hall, where Alyssa was waiting patiently.


	19. Chapter 18

**A/N: So I realised that other writers put a disclaimer on their work, clarifying that they do not own the characters they are writing with. I don't think that a disclaimer is necessary really, the site is called "Fanfiction" for a reason :D**

 **[I'm definitely NOT bashing other writers by the way, I'm just giving my opinion :)]**

 **I think I'll post a disclaimer at the beginning of future stories, but not at the beginning of each chapter. I won't go back and add a disclaimer to my older stories, mainly because the chapters for "The Game" and "The Debate" are no longer saved on my tablet. Hence,I would have to retype the prologue again, which isn't very appealing to me :D**

 **Apologies for the delay in posting, I have a lot on my plate right now :) I'll try to update on a more regular basis, perhaps once a week?**

 **And many apologies for the long author's note, especially as for the most part, I'm waffling about disclaimers :D**

 **Read, Enjoy and Drop a Review! x**

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Chapter 18: An Eventful Night

"You called?" Kaiba strolled to the staircase, where Alyssa sat on the third step, deep in thought. She looked up in shock at him, then shook her head.

"I haven't called you yet. I was thinking of what I could say to get your attention..." Alyssa smiled at him and sighed. "I can't take it Kaiba, I'm sor..."

"Call me Seto." His interruption stopped her apology and her expression became confused.

"Pardon?" His hands were in his pockets and his posture relaxed. He flicked his head to the side, moving his bangs from his eyes in one fluid motion. Alyssa was entranced by his very being in that split second and she tried hard to concentrate on his words. He focused his attention on the carpeted floor, trying to find words to convey his meaning.

"I was thinking of this for a while and after what I said to Mizuki tonight, I made my decision..." His cobalt blue eyes found her aqua irises and he cleared his throat. "I'd prefer if you would call me Seto from now on. I don't like treating you like a potential enemy."

"Oh.. Okay then, Seto..." Processing his words in her mind, Alyssa was astounded by his change of heart.

"You were saying you couldn't do something?" Kaiba offered helpfully. He smirked at her, hoping to put her at ease. She closed her eyes and looked away from him.

"Sayoku is thinking of some... Inappropriate thoughts... And I can't put up with it anymore." She faced him again and smiled sadly. "I'm sorry."

"What kind of inappropriate thoughts?" Kaiba was confused. Himself and Sayoku hadn't gone any farther than kissing, so unless she was planning his murder he wasn't sure what Alyssa meant.

"Just..." She pondered the question for a moment. "Wrong. Just wrong..."

"Wrong? How?" Kaiba sat next to her and leaned against the banister. She shifted away from him slowly, trying to pull her skirt down further over her legs. Kaiba watched this with fascination, wondering why she was acting strange.

"I'd rather not say..." Anna walked by and looked questioningly at the pair.

"She's in the dining room. Will you see her out?" Kaiba dismissed her with the wave of his hand and she bowed before briskly walking to the dining room. Kaiba stood and held out a hand to Alyssa. "Come on, I think you need to relax a bit."

"Um..." Alyssa looked at his hand warily, before taking it and standing up carefully. Kaiba led her to the sitting room and heard Sayoku complaining as they made their way.

"But where did they go? What's happening? Why did he interrogate me? This is an invasion of my privacy!" The front door was opened and closed, drowning out her cries. Alyssa made her way to the plush sofa and sat on it.

"Ugh... I hate this Seto, I really do..." She closed her eyes and threw an elbow over her face. Kaiba watched her, then took a wine glass from the minibar and poured himself a glass of white wine.

"Hate what?" He took a sip and sat beside her, putting his arm on the back of the sofa. She sighed.

"Being able to do what I do. It's an inconvenience, it really is..." She took her arm down from her face and turned to him. "She only told the truth once or twice. She was lying when she said she loved you, and again when she said she didn't just want you for your money."

"And what was so inappropriate?" The wine in his glass was swirled as he waited for her hesitant answer. She looked at him through her lashes and frowned.

"I really don't want to say..."

"Then think it. Show me. Was it an image? Or words?" Kaiba moved his face closer to hers and she felt herself moving closer to him.

' _Why am I so attracted to him? I feel so stupid right now..._ ' Kaiba raised an eyebrow with interest, which made Alyssa realise that she had done it again. "I really shouldn't have thought that..."

"You're attracted to me?" Kaiba smirked with pride and leaned in so that their lips were millimeters away from each other. "Interesting... Now, what did she think? It might be important Alyssa..."

Her breathing quickened when he moved closer again and she felt her heart pumping wildly in her chest. She stared at his lips as they said her name slowly, tantalisingly and took a half breath. "She thought of us inappropriately..."

She was mesmerised by him, and answered his question in a daze. Kaiba raised an eyebrow and used his spare hand to tilt her chin upwards, forcing her to look into his eyes.

"Us? Inappropriately?" She nodded slowly. "What does that mean?"

"Us... In a bed... Your bed..." Alyssa moved closer in an attempt to kiss him, but he pulled back slightly. She whimpered and looked into his eyes with discontent, surprising Kaiba. He stared at her for a long while, processing her broken sentence. His heart rate quickened, as he thought of the implications of Alyssa's words.

"Sleeping in my bed?" Hoping to resolve the situation at hand, Kaiba offered a more innocent alternative to what he thought she meant. She shook her head ever so slightly.

"No, we weren't asleep, not at all..." Alyssa's arms wrapped around his neck and she pulled herself to him. Pressing her lips to his, she sighed and kissed him contently. Kaiba automatically kissed her back, licking her bottom lip and making her hum. He pulled away from her, cursing himself for wanting to go further.

"Alyssa, perhaps we should go to sleep... You must be tired, it's been a very long day and you know, you haven't been out much..." Alyssa noticed Kaiba's change of tone and vocabulary, and pouted.

"Are you okay Kaiba?" His eyes narrowed and she realised her mistake. "Sorry, _Seto_ , are you alright?" He sighed and closed his eyes.

"You've been acting strange since I first kissed you Alyssa... And I'm not too sure what to make of it. You've either been avoiding me or kissing me, and I'm... Confused to say the least..."

Alyssa sat and listened as best she could, though she was distracted by his tousled brown hair. She felt the sudden impulse to run her fingers through it, and cursed, looking away and moving back on the sofa. "I'm sorry Kai... Seto, I really am. I'll... Stop, I really will..."

A strong hand caught hers roughly and she faced the young man in front of her. "But what if I don't want you to..?" His voice was more rough than usual and Alyssa was caught in the swirling blue oceans in his eyes. "My confusion arises from my reaction Alyssa, not necessarily your actions. Each time you kiss me, I want to make it more meaningful, heartfelt. I want to further our actions, but I can't shake the feeling that I'm taking advantage of you..."

"Taking advantage of me?" Alyssa frowned at him and waited for him to elaborate. He clicked his tongue and shifted uncomfortably beside her.

"Sometimes..." Kaiba thought carefully about the current situation and chose his words accordingly. "Do you recall how I told you about wine and alcohol, and how if you drink too much, you don't have self control anymore?" Alyssa nodded.

"Well, when young girls go out drinking, it can happen that young men intentionally get them drunk so that they don't know what they're doing anymore. That way, the can do whatever they want to the girl and she won't realise until the following morning, if at all..."

Alyssa giggled. "But I know exactly what I'm doing. Are _you_ drunk?" Kaiba rolled his eyes.

"I had one glass Alyssa, not a bottle..."

"So I don't see where the problem is." Kaiba watched her for a long minute, swallowing the image of the perfect young girl in front of him. Her aqua-coloured eyes, her unbelievably pale skin, her chocolate brown hair; everything about her attracted him to her in ways he couldn't understand.

He dropped his glass onto the floor behind the sofa and touched her cheek gently. She waited with aniticpation as he leaned in and pressed his lips against hers, softly at first, before he licked her bottom lip and made it obvious that he wasn't stopping himself this time.

She opened her mouth in surprise, allowing his tongue to explore her and she moaned with the new and strange sensation she was feeling. The moan caught Kaiba off-guard and he found himself becoming aroused as he continued to roam her sweetness. He mentally cursed himself and repeated in his mind ' _This is as far as we go, no further..._ ' willing his body to stop reacting to the young lady attached to his lips.


	20. Chapter 19

**A/N: Many apologies for the delay in updates, things are crazy right now but I will try to update when I can. Please read, enjoy and drop a review! ❤**

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Chapter 19: Interrogation

Alyssa woke the following morning in bed, confused as to how she got there. It wasn't until she sat up and looked around that she realised she wasn't in her room; she was in Kaiba's.

Cautiously, she turned toward the other side of the bed and saw the young man still sleeping peacefully, making the careful decision to leave quietly. Her mind wandered to the images Sayoku had conjured up and lost in thought, she didn't notice Kaiba bolt upright and look at her in shock.

"Mizuki thought of _that_?!" Alyssa jumped with surprise and saw Kaiba staring at her shocked. She hadn't heard him properly, so she greeted him with a nervous smile.

"Good morning... I think?" She noticed that he had left the top three buttons on his pajama shirt open and felt herself staring at his revealed chest. Kaiba was deep in thought, running his hand through his tousled hair.

"She thought we were sleeping together... Paranoid bitch..." He threw the duvet off his body and stood out of the bed. Alyssa looked down at herself and found that she was wearing her pajamas, though she couldn't remember changing out of her dress. In fact, the last thing she remembered was sitting close to Kaiba on the sofa after their kiss...

"Alyssa? Are you alright?" Kaiba had gone to his closet and changed, wearing now a pair of black pants and a light blue shirt. Again, he had neglected to fasten the top three buttons and Alyssa looked up to his face quickly.

"Yes... I uh... Need to go?" She looked wistfully at the door, wishing it was closer. He nodded and looked down at the floor.

' _This is unbelievably awkward..._ ' Poor Kaiba felt embarrassed in her presence, but when she finally got up and ran from the room, he suddenly felt lonely.

"I really appreciate you coming over Mike, on such short notice." Kaiba and Mike sat on the two opposing sofas in the living room. Mike was wearing a suit, all business and Kaiba was sitting relaxed in his loose attire.

"It isn't a problem sir, but might I ask why she is present?" Mike was referring to Alyssa, who was sitting next to Kaiba. She had changed into a pair of faded blue jeans and a light grey shirt, and held a piece of paper in her hands.

"I would like to ask you a few questions please..." Alyssa smiled at him and he smiled back.

"School project?" Mike laughed a deep laugh when he suggested this, but Alyssa didn't.

"It's a project, but not for school." Alyssa looked down at her piece of paper and sighed. "Will you answer me truthfully? I'll know if you lie." Mike felt slightly uncomfortable but nodded.

"Okay. How long have you worked with Seto?" Mike noticed her use of Kaiba's first name and smiled. He assumed Kaiba would be nice to this pretty young lady, but he never thought the she would be given the privledge of calling him Seto.

"Since he took over the company about... Four years ago now?" Alyssa nodded and wrote that down carefully. Mike noted as Kaiba watched Alyssa as she did so.

"And how old are you?" Mike raised his eyebrows.

"Why does that matter?" He absentmindedly thought of his age, though he was hesitant to say it aloud.

"Twenty seven, thank you..." Alyssa wrote down his age and Mike sat forward.

"How did you know that?" He frowned at Alyssa and earned attention from Kaiba. Both men sat forward, an occurrence that surprised Mike.

"And how long ago did you meet Victoria?" Mike sat back slowly and said nothing at all, instead thinking of how Victoria came into his life.

Alyssa looked him straight in the eye and paid attention to his recollection. However, when Mike recalled how Victoria had said that her father was a millionaire and nothing more, something clicked in Alyssa's mind and she gasped.

"You didn't assume?" Her question was met with wide eyes and an expression that read fear.

"W.. What? Assume what? I haven't said a word?" Mike stumbled over his words like a child, fumbling for vocabulary he seemed to lack at that present moment. Kaiba had been sitting patiently during the minute that Mike remembered meeting his wife for the first time, but was now curious to know what was happening.

"Alyssa, care to explain?" Kaiba's gentle demand was answered immediately, while Mike sat and listened astounded by what he heard.

"Victoria came into his life approximately three _days_ after you took over Kaiba Corporation. She was a stunner, for want of a better word. Mike was both smitten and shocked all at once; he just could not believe that she would talk to someone like him.

"They began to date. She met his family plenty of times, though she never introduced hers to him. Whenever he asked, she would tell him that her father was a well-known millionaire and she didn't like people to know that they were related. She claimed to hate the attention that she earned through being related to someone like that.

"She never properly revealed her age, nor did she reveal her full name. They were married after only three months and her mysterious father funded the affair." Alyssa frowned and stood up. "Mister Simm, do you realise what this insinuates?"

"I know what you're implying, but no." Mike stood up also and tried to intimidate her. Kaiba stood briskly and moved between Mike and Alyssa, taking a defensive stance against his friend.

"Mike, are you incapable of seeing what's directly in front of you?" Kaiba raised his voice slightly and waited for his answer. Mokuba was suddenly heard yelling from another room. Alyssa walked out briskly and Kaiba turned back to Mike.

"Sir... I know how this looks, but it's not..."

"Mike..." Kaiba looked over toward the door that Alyssa had just walked through. "I trust her. I think she may be right about Victoria..."

"No!" Kaiba raised an eyebrow at Mike's outburst. His breathing quickened as he tried in vain to oppose the accusations against his wife. "Victoria isn't related to that sick bastard! No! She isn't!" Picking up his overcoat from the coatrack in the front hall, Mike made his way to the front door with Kaiba following.

He rested his hand on the handle, turning slightly to Kaiba and muttering, "And you believe a child over me..." And with that he was gone.

Kaiba watched the door for a few minutes after Mike's departure. Alyssa watched Kaiba. There seemed to be an air of sadness in the mansion and an atmosphere of distrust. Alyssa walked up to Kaiba and wrapped her tiny arms around his waist.

"I'm sorry Seto."

Kaiba remained silent, comforted by her presence. He only wished that he had some way of telling her, but he couldn't find the right words. The unease and tension that had built up during the meeting disappeared and Alyssa could sense it. She retracted her arms, meaning to move away to her room, but Kaiba twirled around and pulled her into a warm embrace.

The young girl could do nothing else but stand where he held her. She knew it was difficult for him to convey his emotions to other people, and she was pretty sure she had never seen him hug Mokuba. This display of affection was unusual for him and even stranger for her; she hadn't known what she was doing when she wrapped her arms around him. Acting on emotions, responding to certain stimuli, everything she experienced in the few days after her release from her room were still alien to her.

' _I don't care what he says, or what he thinks, I'm glad I brought you home..._ ' Kaiba's unspoken confession made Alyssa's heart swell, though she was still unsure why. He slowly released her thin frame from his grasp and looked away from her, unsure of what to do next. She bowed and walked to her room, thinking over everything that had transpired that afternoon.


	21. Chapter 20

**A/N: A massive thank you to the amazing people who have left reviews for Experiment 13!**

 **You have no idea how much I appreciate them, and how much I appreciate all the people who have followed/favourited the story!**

 **I must try to be more consistent from now on, it's getting a bit ridiculous really :D**

 **Hope you all enjoy the next chapter!**

* * *

Chapter 20: Present

The Blue Eyes White Dragon sculpture sat proudly on her desk, the white and blue tissue paper that surrounded it and protected it lay open like a blooming flower at it's feet. His majestic mouth was open wide and the attention to detail of the sculptor amazed Alyssa immensely.

She looked to the left of the statuette and sighed when she saw the small silver box that Roland had given to her. The box was an unexpected gift from Roland, and his justification for giving it to her elicited a smile of confusion from the girl.

* * *

*Three hours prior*

Roland hesitated outside her door, realising the unusual reason for his visit may be seen as inappropriate. He shook his head and knocked on the door, with three short raps. Alyssa opened the wooden obstruction and smiled at him, as though she saw no problem in him being outside her bedroom door.

"Roland, I haven't seen you for a while. Is there a problem?" She was all-too aware that Kaiba was at work and Mokuba was at school, so apart from Anna, there should be no-one else in the mansion until six that evening. Roland had left his position at Kaiba Corporation and retrieved that box from a shop window, after seeing it on his way to the office building that morning.

"No, there isn't a problem Miss Alyssa. I found this, and I thought you might find use in it." The box was placed into a small paper bag when Roland purchased it, which he then gave to Alyssa. She peered curiously into the bag and saw the box, much to her confusion. She smiled, regardless of her bemusement.

"Why thank you Roland. But what do you suppose I could use this for?" Her polite smile and pleasant way of replying to his strange visit was met with a small smile of Roland's.

"I couldn't help but think of that gift you bought for Mister Kaiba, and how nicely it would fit into that gift box..." With a twinkle of his eye, Roland had helped her to properly wrap her birthday gift for Kaiba and quite politely too. Alyssa gave him one of her most beautiful smiles and bowed.

"Thank you very much Roland!" He merely nodded and bowed slightly in response, before turning and leaving the mansion. Alyssa placed the box on her desk and busied herself with organising her possessions.

* * *

She carefully picked up the sculpture and wrapped the tissue paper around it's fragile body, being mindful not to tear the paper on it's sharp edges. Once it was completely covered, she placed the dragon into the silver box and replaced the lid. She took a deep breath before taking a thick blue ribbon and tying it carefully around the box, using it to keep the lid secure.

"It does look beautiful..." She admired her handiwork and giggled. The reaction on Kaiba's face would be indescribable when he opens this box in a few days' time, and Alyssa couldn't wait to see it.

"Seto... Can I go to a store please? I need to buy some stationary..." The whispered request was directed at the young CEO who was sitting at his desk in his home office, by the young girl who stood awkwardly in the doorway of mentioned office.

After talking to Anna for a while in the kitchen, Alyssa learned of the birthday card that usually accompanies a gift and wished to acquire one for Kaiba. The sound of typing in the room was silenced and cobalt blue eyes met her aqua eyes.

"Stationary? Such as..?" There was an abundance of stationary in his office and although he enjoyed the idea of bringing Alyssa somewhere other than the park or to Kaiba Corporation, he wasn't sure of exposing her to other people. He was aware of his selfish nature making an appearance; wanting to keep Alyssa to himself.

"Well, I suppose it's more art supplies than stationary... I would like to buy some coloured card and paint. I watched a programme on the television yesterday that showed one how to draw and paint." Kaiba raised an eyebrow with interest and reclined in his seat, analysing her timid stance in the doorway.

"You can come into my office you know, I don't bite." The girl smiled a broad smile and left her position at the doorframe, moving closer to the desk. She stood directly in front of the desk and waited for his reply. "We can leave in about ten minutes? I just need to send an email to Mike and I can leave the report until later." The smile on her face broadened and she bowed with gratitude.

"Thank you Seto! I'll be waiting in the front hall!" And with that said, she left the room in search of her coat. Kaiba finished his work and made his way to the front hall, where he saw Anna and Alyssa deep in a hushed conversation. Anna seemed delighted with whatever Alyssa had said and Alyssa blushed.

"Ready to leave?" Kaiba's smooth voice made Alyssa squeak with surprise and Anna looked in his direction, before giving Alyssa a small smile and returning to the kitchen.

Alyssa nodded at him and Kaiba opened the front door, allowing Alyssa to leave first and the following her out. She was prepared to wait for the limousine, but Kaiba started walking toward the gates of the mansion. She followed quickly in disbelief; she hadn't seen him walk anywhere before.

"Contrary to popular belief, I'm quite able to walk around if necessary. I'm not always tied to a vehicle." After catching her staring at him in shock, he felt the need to justify why he decided to walk with her to a stationary store.

They walked silently together for the fifteen minutes it took to reach the centre of the city. The bright lights of Domino dazzled Alyssa and she gazed around in wonder, paying scant attention to Kaiba who was watching her with interest. When they reached the stationary store, Kaiba had to reach out and earn her attention by touching her shoulder before she passed the shop completely.

"Oh, sorry..." She smiled an awkward smile at him and followed him inside, where a shrivelled old woman sat at a small counter top and smiled at the pair. Alyssa made a beeline for the arts section of the store, and Kaiba stayed near the door.

"Looking for something in particular sir?" The old voice that accompanied the face reminded Kaiba of someone, and he couldn't muster a cold response to her gentle offer of help.

"I'm not, the girl is. But she seems to know what she's doing..." Kaiba and the old woman watched as Alyssa approached the counter with a ream of different coloured card, six tubes of acrylic paint and five paint brushes.

"Hmm... Altogether, I'll ask for three thousand yen." Alyssa smiled and took the leftover money from her other shopping trip from her pocket, counting out the money needed to buy the materials. While she did this, the woman placed the items carefully into a brown paper bag and used clear sticky tape to close it.

"Here, three thousand yen." Kaiba opened the door for Alyssa when she had paid and nodded to the old woman in thanks, then followed Alyssa down the street toward the mansion.

There were a number of other stores along the way, including a bakery. Kaiba stopped suddenly and looked through the large glass window, silently choosing which treat he would eat. Alyssa noticed his absence and walked back to him.

"Something the matter?" The bag she held was taken from her grasp and Kaiba nodded toward the glass.

"Have you ever eaten any of these? My mother used to bake chocolate eclairs a lot when I was young." Alyssa glanced through the window and looked at the baked treats. Small droplets of rain began to fall from the darkening sky, giving both teenagers a shock.

"I haven't had any of those, no..." Her gaze focused on the bag in Kaiba's hand as the rain worsened, and she ran a hand through her soaked locks. "Should we keep walking? Or do you want to go inside and buy one?" Kaiba tore his gaze from the eclairs and looked at her.

There was a sadness in his eyes that she couldn't justify; it created the illusion that his usually dark blue eyes were lighter in colour. The rain drenched his clothes and hair, running off the end of his nose and dripping onto his collar.

"We should keep going..." Alyssa watched as he turned and walked away, the rain continuing to soak his clothes. She was forced to run in order to catch up to him, trotting alongside him in the growing darkness.


	22. Chapter 21

**A/N: So sorry for the delay in posting! Thank you to those who followed/favourited/reviewed!**

 **I'm planning on posting many more chapters next week, I have an Easter break from college, so I should have time to be more consistent!**

* * *

Chapter 21: News

Kaiba and Alyssa arrived home later that night, completely soaked and confused. In actuality, Alyssa was confused and Kaiba was distracted, but nevertheless knew how to deal with the situation at hand. Staying in their wet clothes would only cause illness and Kaiba didn't want Alyssa's good fortune to change. He was privately amazed that she hadn't been ill already, but he wasn't about to question that.

Anna had left them a note in the front hallway, telling them that she and Mokuba had gone to bed. There was a roaring fire in the living room and Kaiba headed in that direction. Alyssa followed, unsure of what else to do. As well as that, he still held her bag of supplies and she wanted to retrieve it to start her work as soon as possible.

"Um, Seto... Can I have my bag please?" Her small voice was the only sound in the room, apart from the slight cackling from the fire. Kaiba turned and smirked simultaneously, holding out the bag for her to take.

"Sure, here. But don't leave just yet, stay by the fire for a moment or so..." She took the bag gently from his hand and sat down on the carpeted floor near the fire. Kaiba watched with interest, surprised that she would do such a thing.

"I often read books about children who would sit in front of an open fire like this. But the peace and tranquility that came from reading about it was disturbed by the mention of a war in the story." Alyssa crossed her legs and sighed. "I didn't like those books much..."

Kaiba listened and decided that she should read much better material, perhaps some other books Mokuba had read. He was about to sit on the sofa when his phone began to vibrate in his pocket and he excused himself from the living room

"Kaiba." His abrupt greeting to the unknown caller ID was met with an interested Doctor Wasaki.

"Mister Kaiba, I understand this may be an unusual time to call, but I wanted to tell you what I found in that blood sample..." At this, Kaiba looked around the corner into the living room and at the girl in question.

He felt a strange fluttering feeling in his stomach as he watched her; her long brown hair draped over her left shoulder like a chocolate waterfall, her eyes focused and shiny as she inspected her newly bought materials, her pale skin glowing beside the fire as she dried slowly in it's warm haze.

"No, we can talk now." He was curious to know why Wasaki was acting so strange. It was very unusual for him to call Kaiba any time after the clinic closed at five and it was ten at night, last Kaiba checked.

"Well, this is fascinating, to say the least... Her genetic coding has been completely altered. I found her old file from before she was adopted and compared the results from her infancy blood tests." Kaiba raised an eyebrow.

' _No shit...'_ ' He sighed. "Wasaki, I knew that already. It's quite obvious that she's different to everyone else..." He began to pace back and forth in the front hallway, stressing himself over the situation at hand. ' _This reminds me of the troubles we had a few years ago with Bakura and Marik..._ '

"Sorry Mister Kaiba... I'm quite astonished with this, she has several extra genes in her genetic coding."

"Hmm..." Kaiba hummed with impatience and Wasaki took this as his cue to continue.

"As you may or may not know, humans have forty-six pairs of chromosomes; twenty three from the mother and twenty three from the father. Now, someone who has downs syndrome has an extra chromosome in their genetic coding... But Miss Takahashi has at least five extra chromosomes..." Kaiba had studied human biology in highschool and knew exactly what Wasaki was talking about, until the point when he said that Alyssa had FIVE extra chromosomes.

His stare was directed at the girl in question yet again, sitting near the fireplace with her paintbrushes arranged in front of her as she inspected each of them carefully, probably choosing which ones would aid her in her project. A child with one extra chromosome had difficulty in doing the simple tasks, whereas Alyssa was extremely clever and learning quicker than he could have imagined.

"What does this mean?" Kaiba held his gaze, even as Alyssa turned around to face him and blushed when she saw him staring at her.

"It means... That I'm going to ask for permission to conduct some tests..." Kaiba was about to agree when something suddenly struck him as odd. _Victoria_ had introduced him to her private doctor, Wasaki. And how did he find her old records from before she was adopted?

' _Does this mean... Wasaki also knows Gozaburo? He could be working for him..._ ' Kaiba tutted and frowned, averting his gaze from the young lady in the living room. "I'll have to think about putting her through that sort of trouble again Wasaki. We'll be in touch."

"Of course-" Wasaki was cut short by Kaiba ending the call immediately. He ran a hand down his face with stress and sighed heavily, closing his eyes and thinking quickly about what else he could do. ' _My own doctor, Takeshi, probably wouldn't appreciate my coming to her now, after firing her years ago... Then again, Alyssa is an interesting person to speak to, perhaps we can work something out..._ ' Then, of course, there was the issue of Mike and Victoria Simm.

Mike had been acting strange with Kaiba since the questioning, keeping their conversations on a business level and going no further. Kaiba hated to admit that he missed Mike's informal company and almost wished that he and Alyssa hadn't asked him such questions.

"Seto? Is everything alright?" The sweet and concerned voice that met his ears instantly helped him to relax. He opened his eyes and smirked at her worried face. She had made her way silently into the front hall, after assessing her art supplies and placing them carefully back into the brown bag.

"Yes, I am." The word 'Now' almost ended his sentence, but Kaiba suppressed his gratitude. Alyssa didn't know how much she had helped him, and for him to thank her would be confusing and awkward.

"Okay then... I think I might go to my room now, I need a shower and I'm really tired." The bag was held under her left arm and Kaiba nodded in agreement.

"I'll be gone tomorrow morning when you wake up. I'll probably see you tomorrow after work." She giggled and nodded in return. He raised an eyebrow and smirked at her in amusement, ignorant of her reason for giggling.

"Good night Seto..." Her hair brushed his face as she turned around and quickly made her way upstairs. It was then that he noticed there was a scent in the air; one that smelt of sweetness, but it disappeared seconds after Alyssa left the hall. Surprised, he assumed that she had bought herself a bottle of perfume and used it that evening.

He decided to check her files on his laptop before he went to bed, perhaps shedding some light on her strange situation. He also wanted to do a background check on Victoria and Wasaki, to either confirm their involvement with Gozaburo, or to deny their involvement with him. Sitting down in the living room and opening a document called " **Experiment 13: Situation, 3rd May 2013** ", Kaiba readied himself for the horrors he anticipated in the report.

 **Thirteen given a highschool biology book as no other reading material was available. Everything else has been read several times. However, raised questions about a number of awkward topics. Asked questions about reproduction and illnesses.**

"How on earth is illness an awkward question? Unless they find it awkward considering she doesn't get sick..." Kaiba sat and contemplated this for a while, deciding it best to delete the reports. Mokuba snook into the room behind him and watched him do this.

"Seto! I thought we needed those files to help Alyssa!" Mokuba's shriek made Kaiba jump with surprise and he turned around hastily.

"Mokuba! Don't do that!" Kaiba shook his head and sighed. "I don't need those files to deal with Alyssa." His statement was met with a confused gaze from the younger boy. "We've dealt with her in a much better way than how they suggest in these reports. Besides, they tortured her for years in that place, why would we want to follow their instructions?"

Mokuba stood in that one place for a moment, thinking carefully of Kaiba's justification. He eventually nodded and smiled at the older either, earning himself a smirk in return. "Oh, Nii-sama, don't forget to be home early tomorrow!"

"Why?" Kaiba eyed his brother warily.

"Because it's your birthday silly!" Mokuba's laughter was heard by Alyssa upstairs, but Kaiba's groan of disapproval was masked by Mokuba's cackling.


	23. Chapter 22

**A/N: Next chapter! Getting more and more notifications every day! Thank you all so much for your support!**

 **Read, enjoy and drop a review! Much love ❤**

* * *

Chapter 22: Kaiba's Birthday

It was approximately five thirty when Kaiba's alarm woke him the following morning. He groggily ran a hand over his face and sighed, knowing Mokuba would have planned something for the afternoon. The duvet was thrown from his body and he sat up, feeling no motivation to get up and go to Kaiba Corporation, which was unusual behaviour for him.

Alyssa crossed his mind, her sweet request to go to a shop late at night being his most predominant thought. He found himself smirking as he thought of her and shook his head, trying to clear his mind and prepare himself for work. He decided to have a shower and get dressed quickly, before heading to his home office to collect his laptop.

On his desk lay a small silver box, secured with a blue ribbon tied to form a neat bow. A small piece of folded card lay beside it, and Kaiba noticed the painted Blue Eyes White Dragon on the front. Curious, he cautiously moved toward the desk and took the card from its position beside the box. Written on the inside of the card in beautiful handwriting, was a birthday wish from Alyssa.

 _"I hope you enjoy your birthday Seto. Don't work too hard and get home safely._

 _~Alyssa"_

Kaiba stared at the small note for a long minute, before looking back at the small box. The card vaguely reminded him of the small notes he had left her once or twice when she first arrived here, and he smirked. It was now a little after six, and Kaiba had planned to get to KaibaCorp. before half an hour past, but he was distracted by this strange occurrence.

The box was then taken from the desk and moved from hand to hand, as Kaiba tried to decipher what was inside. He gingerly took one end of the ribbon and pulled, releasing the bow with one fluid motion. Taking a deep breath, he took the lid off of the box and recognised the paper inside.

"The mystery item she purchased with Roland..." He muttered, taking it carefully out of the box and unwrapping the item concealed within. When the statue came into view, he gasped and almost dropped the figure with surprise. "A Blue Eyes statue?" He marvelled at the craft man's ship of the statue, and couldn't help but smile at Alyssa's kindness.

* * *

As soon as he entered the KaibaCorp. building, Kaiba was harassed by several employees who wanted his attention.

"Mister Kaiba sir! Devlin Industries wants an appointment A.S.A.P.!"

"Um sir, there's a problem with prototype six-three-four-zero..."

"Mister Kaiba! Your lady friend isn't with you today? Do you need a helping hand?" Kaiba stopped when his annoying blonde secretary addressed him and he turned around to face her.

"No, I don't. But I want you gone out of this building in less than ten minutes. I'm sick of your pathetic personality. Get out!" Everyone in the vicinity stared at his outburst, knowing all too well of his wrath and knowing of all the other employees he had fired in the past. The secretary brought a hand to her mouth in shock before bursting into tears.

"M... Mister Kaiba..." Her cries were loud and annoying; Kaiba found no sympathy for her and frowned.

"Roland, escort her out." He pressed the button for the elevator and stood impatiently, briefcase in hand. Inside of the briefcase was the statue from Alyssa, and Kaiba smirked when he thought of her. Roland moved toward the quivering blonde and took a hold of her forearm, leading her to her desk so she could take her possessions.

The elevator made its infamous sound when it arrived, and Kaiba stood inside. He travelled patiently to the top floor, where his office was located. Opening the door and walking inside, he put his briefcase carefully onto the desk and opened it, revealing the statue. He placed it gingerly on the desk near his lamp, and smiled.

His laptop made a sound that notified him of a new email and he sighed, sitting down in his chair and accessing his email account. An email from Mike earned his attention and he opened it with interest.

" **Kaiba,**

 **I believe an apology is in order. The way I acted at your mansion was unexpected and unacceptable, and you must know that I acted in such a way because of guilt. I knew exactly where Miss Takahashi was going with her questions and I didn't want to believe it. However, I have done a bit of researching and I think I found some interesting material. I plan to arrive to your office a little after noon.**

 **M. Simm."**

Kaiba sat back and read the email twice. An apology? From Mike? He sighed and exited his email account. Today was one of those strange days.

* * *

Alyssa was sitting in the bay window of the living room at approximately five forty-seven that evening, legs dangling graciously over the seat, when Kaiba's limousine eventually pulled up. The sun was setting behind the high rise buildings beyond the large gates of the mansion and Alyssa watched with a flutter of her heart as Kaiba stood out from his vehicle. Mokuba had told her that he was eighteen years old today, but she refused to believe it.

She noticed that her feelings were confusing around Kaiba, and she wasn't sure why. She contemplated asking him his opinion, but decided against it and instead spoke to Anna. That was the reason behind their hushed conversation the night before and Alyssa remembered the excited giggle from Anna when she described to her, her dilemma.

The front door opened and closed quickly, and a flash of raven coloured hair rushed out to greet Kaiba.

"Seto! I told you to come home early!" Mokuba's upset voice made Alyssa giggle. The sound of a paper bag rustling was heard and Kaiba's deep voice made Alyssa's heart skip a beat.

"Sorry Mokuba. I went to purchase something for the girl in the window." Alyssa drew her legs up onto the seat and curled them beneath her, being mindful of the skirt she wore.

"Girl in the window..?" Mokuba's confusion was replaced by understanding when Kaiba led him to the bay window and handed Alyssa a brown paper bag. She stared at it for a moment, before taking it from him and looking into his deep blue eyes with curiosity.

"What is this?" She unintentionally batted her eyelashes and Kaiba swore mentally, before looking away and smirking.

"Just something I found..." And with that, he walked away. Probably to his bedroom, or to his home office. Mokuba watched him leave and then looked back at Alyssa.

"You going to open it?" His question made Alyssa frown. She met his grey-eyed gaze and smiled at him.

"Of course..." She looked down at the bag and squeezed it slightly, determining that whatever was concealed inside was also placed inside a box. Tipping the bag upside down, the plastic box tumbled out and into her small hand. She suddenly looked up and smiled at the doorway.

"What?" Looking in the same direction, Mokuba questioned Alyssa's actions and she shook her head.

"Nothing." She brought his attention back to the chocolate eclair in her hand, one that Kaiba had bought for her and smiled down at it happily. "I told him I never had one before..." She mumbled to herself and sighed.

"I'm going to see how Anna's doing..." Unaware of what had happened the night before, Mokuba ran off to find Anna and make sure she had prepared all he had asked her to. Alyssa turned her attention to the doorway, where she knew Kaiba was waiting. She giggled and meant to stand from her seat, when Kaiba moved from his position at the door and walked up the large stairs. She watched through his eyes as he walked to her room and she immediately became suspicious.

' _Why is he at my room?_ ' Placing the eclair back into the bag, she stood and walked quickly out into the front hall. Strong arms caught her from behind and she squealed with shock, suddenly aware of the hand across her mouth.


	24. Chapter 23

Chapter 23: Birthday Surprise

"I can't believe that worked!" Kaiba's amused voice hit her ear and Alyssa immediately relaxed. The strong arms released her thin frame and the hand covering her mouth was removed. She recognised the scent of his cologne and smiled to herself, before turning around and replacing the smile with a frown.

"Kaiba!" He raised an eyebrow at her outburst. "You... You tricked me!" His eyes narrowed and he frowned.

"So you think it just to call me by my surname because I joked with you?" He was offended, she could tell. After giving her permission to use his first name, he never wanted her to use his surname to address him. He tutted and turned away, picking up his briefcase and deciding to walk to his home office. He fully expected Alyssa to either stop him or follow him, but instead, she remained where she stood and looked down at her shoes awkwardly. He stopped of his own accord and looked over his shoulder. "What's wrong?"

"No.. Nothing..." She bowed, but still managed to look down at her feet as she did so. "I'm sorry Seto... And thank you for the treat." Her red shoes finally moved from their position on the beige carpet and toward the stairs, but Kaiba reached out an arm and halted her in her tracks.

"Alyssa, you do realise I was joking, don't you?" His voice softened considerably and Alyssa met his cobalt blue gaze with shock.

"But... You rarely joke..." He raised an eyebrow at her observation and smirked, a blush appearing along his cheekbones.

"Yeah, but around people I'm comfortable with..." He looked away embarrassed and she watched with interest as he closed his eyes. "Look, I didn't mean to frighten you. I didn't realise that would work."

"It's okay, I'm sorry for calling you Kaiba. I didn't mean to..." Kaiba smirked and opened his eyes.

"It's fine, don't worry yourself over it." She grinned and sighed with relief, closing her eyes for a mere second; Alyssa suddenly felt his breath against her ear and his arm tighten slightly around her waist. Her eyes opened wide at how close they were. "What has Mokuba planned for this evening? I know he asked Anna to prepare something because there was more food delivered than usual yesterday."

"I... Uh..." His scent filled her nostrils and his arm around her waist stopped her from keeling over. She stared at his seemingly perfect face as he moved his lips away from her ear and looked into her aqua blue eyes.

"Alyssa?" He was concerned about her, enquiring blue eyes searching hers as she felt her breathing hitch in her chest. He dropped the briefcase he had been holding and brought his other hand to her forehead. "Alyssa? What's wrong?" She batted his hand away from her head, frowning slightly.

"You're distracting me again..." He smirked when she replied and before she could stop him, he pressed his lips against hers. Alyssa squeaked at the contact and brought her hands to his hair, combing through his brown locks with her fingers, as his hands brought her waist closer to his.

She suddenly became aware of Anna approaching and pulled away from him, running up the large stairs as quickly as she could. Kaiba stood puzzled for a moment, when Anna entered the hall and smiled politely.

"Mister Kaiba, Master Mokuba said you would be somewhere around here." Kaiba looked wistfully to the stairs and nodded.

"I was just about to go to my room... I'll be down soon."

* * *

"SURPRISE!" Mokuba shouted as Kaiba entered the dining room. Alyssa sat politely on a chair, with Anna to her right and Mokuba stood at the doorway, waiting for his older brother.

Kaiba shook his head and sighed at the sight before him; Blue and silver balloons hung from the ceiling and littered the floor; blue plates were stacked neatly on the table alongside matching blue cups, and silver napkins with plastic silver cutlery; large bowls of various foods were dotted along the long table and jugs full of various drinks sat in the centre of the table.

"I invited a couple of people Seto, they'll be here soon. I thought it would be better to warn you first." Mokuba smiled as he thought of the people he invited. Alyssa barely knew anyone yet and he was eager to introduce her properly to Serenity.

He then thought of Serenity's curiosity the day they went to the park together. She wanted to know how Alyssa knew Tofu's name and Mokuba quickly covered up for her, telling Serenity that he had let slip Tofu's name at the mansion before they left. This fake confession made Serenity blush and earned Mokuba a peck on the cheek, but the little white lie made him feel horribly guilty. But even he wondered how Alyssa knew the dog's name.

"How many is a couple Mokuba?" Kaiba's stern voice made Alyssa blush slightly and Anna placed a hand on her shoulder. When Alyssa half-turned to meet her gaze, she received a small smile from the older girl and a gentle laugh as she moved back into the kitchen.

"Oh, you know... Maybe a dozen?" Kaiba rolled his eyes and sighed, placing a hand into his left pocket and looking down toward the floor. His brown bangs covered his eyes and he used this to his advantage, looking discreetly at Alyssa who had stood from her seat at the table and was making her way to the bay window.

She hadn't changed her attire since his arrival home; she still wore her navy knee-length skirt and white and navy striped shirt from earlier. A red bow was tied around her neck and another around her hair, holding it in a ponytail fashion. She had lined her eyes with black eyeliner and coated her lips with red lipgloss, making her eyes stand out all the more.

Kaiba was secretly proud to have her staying at his home, but was dreading having to explain her origin to Yugi's group of friends. He knew Mokuba would have invited them along and didn't like being forced to be cordial to such ignorant people.

"Seto, stop staring at me like that please. As flattering as it is, it's also embarrassing." Alyssa looked over her shoulder as she spoke, giggling and standing at the window with ease. She rested her hand on the window frame, gazing out over the front gardens and waited for a car to pull up outside.

Kaiba moved to her side and looked out of the window. His hands rested in his pockets and he leaned his body against the frame. "I didn't realise I embarrass you."

"You look at me differently to how you look at other people. It's strange, coupled with what you think of when you look at me like that." Alyssa shuffled on the spot and sighed, realising that what Anna had told her was true.

* * *

*The night before in the front hall*

"Anna, I'm starting to feel strange around Seto... I was wondering if I told you, would you know why?" Alyssa sounded unusual to Anna, as though she were struggling to breath where she stood. Anna smiled and put her hands on her hips.

"How do you mean?" Alyssa shuffled a looked down, rubbing her arm with discomfort.

"Um.. It's a little like... If I see him, I get this strange feeling in my stomach. Like a fluttering feeling... And my heart, it feels... Like it's shocked..." Her face became bright red and she started to perspire quite a bit, suddenly feeling stupid for uttering a word.

"Well, it sounds to me that you have a crush on him to be honest." Anna smiled a broad smile and waited for Alyssa to reply.

"A crush? What does that mean?" Her ignorance was adorable and Anna giggled a bit.

"It means you like him as more than a friend, but you're not sure if you're in love with him yet." Alyssa blushed even more at the mention of 'love' and Anna smiled with understanding. Kaiba's smooth voice broke their conversation and Alyssa squeaked at the interruption.

* * *

"Alyssa, there may be some loud people here this evening. If you need to be excused for any reason, don't hesitate to leave." Kaiba interrupted her train of thought and Alyssa nodded swiftly.

"Thank you Seto. But I'll try to stay near you if you don't mind." His nod was just as swift and both of them stood at the window, waiting.


	25. Chapter 24

**A/N: Thank you all so much for your continued support! I hope the story is developing well, and that you're still enjoying it!**

 **Read, enjoy and review! Much love ❤**

* * *

Chapter 24: Introductions

The entire mansion seemed to be full of people, based on the volume of food being eaten, drinks being drank and voices talking noisily. A table in the front hall was overflowing with presents, wrapped tightly with all different types of paper. Alyssa walked all around the large round table, holding out a hand and running it over the various boxes.

"How on earth could my small gift compare to all of these..?" She wondered quietly to herself, judging the various sized boxes and the various wrapping paper. "All I did was put my gift into the box Roland gave to me. All of these have had so much more work put into them..."

"But yours was heartfelt." She gasped and brought a hand to her chest in surprise. Kaiba stood behind her, leaning casually on the doorframe and watched as she turned around and shook her head.

"You need to stop doing that Seto..." Returning her attention to the gifts, she smiled. "When are you to introduce me to your friends?"

"They are not my friends." Alyssa giggled and continued running her fingers along the tops of the gifts.

"Alright, acquaintances then." He shoved his hands rather hastily into his pockets and looked down at the beige carpet.

"To be frank, I'd prefer not to." This made Alyssa stop in her tracks and turn around slowly. Her mouth formed a perfect 'o' shape, as she tried to focus enough on him to know what he was thinking. "If I attempt to introduce you, I won't quite know how. They will ask questions, questions that neither of us will want to hear."

"I... I have to be kept a secret then?" Kaiba met her gaze and sighed.

"I think that would make things worse... I don't know what to do." Both stood awkwardly in the large hallway, one focusing her attention on the others' gifts and the other focused entirely on the young lady in front of him. When the sound of classical music came from the living room, Kaiba was broken from his daydream and he smiled slightly at Mokuba's gesture.

"This music is different from what they were playing a while ago..." Aqua blue eyes blinked with surprise, contrasting with her dark hair and pale skin. Kaiba nodded and the smile stayed in place.

"It's a famous piece, written by a very famous musician. This piece is my favourite." With the confession in the air, Kaiba looked out of the window with embarrassment and sighed. Alyssa could sense that he was troubled by something and was about to ask him what it was, when he suddenly turned around to face her. "Would it be strange if I asked for a dance?"

"A... A dance?" She wasn't sure what he meant and waited patiently for him to elaborate.

"When a man wants to dance with a lady..." He moved closer and held out a hand, bowing to her graciously. "He asks permission first." Alyssa smiled and placed her tiny hand on his. She didn't know how to dance and trembled with anticipation, something that Kaiba noticed immediately. He pulled her gently but quickly toward his torso and wrapped a hand around her waist, holding her in place.

"Seto, I don't know how to dance..." Her worry was ignored by him, as he twirled her around and moved her in time with the music.

"Stop panicking Alyssa. I asked you to dance and you're dancing." She looked down at her feet, moving in time with his and smiled.

"I guess I am..." They continued to move around the hallway together, and she became very aware of her feelings for him. He acted differently around her, and took his time with her, even when she was being difficult to deal with. She knew that she could be a pain to handle, especially when she didn't fully understand something, and she also knew that Kaiba wasn't usually a patient man. This thought alone made her smile even more as she followed Kaiba's lead.

The music came to a stop and Alyssa stood gently away from Kaiba. "That was fun. Thank you Seto." She bowed and smiled in response to his smirk. An annoying Brooklyn accent interrupted their conversation and Kaiba rolled his eyes.

"'Ere Kaiba, who is this?" Joey Wheeler's nasally voice was unfamiliar to Alyssa and although she had heard him briefly at the park, she was still taken aback by his rude interjection. She turned in his direction and stood back three feet, frowning slightly at his close proximity.

Kaiba, on the other hand, thrust his hands into his pockets and stood in front of Alyssa, making Joey take a step or so back. This move caused Joey's temper to flare, but Kaiba felt the need to protect Alyssa and annoy Joey simultaneously. Slowly, the rest of Yugi's band of friends moved into the front hallway with Mokuba following.

"She's a friend of mine Wheeler. Her name is Alyssa Takahashi, but you may refer to her as she wishes." At this, he turned to Alyssa and waited for her to decide how she wanted to be known. However, Mokuba made an interjection before she could reply.

"Friends Seto? Last I checked, friends don't kiss each other!" All eyes in the room were suddenly pointed at the younger Kaiba, then the older, as all present attempted to comprehend what Mokuba had just said.

"What are you talking about Mokuba?" Kaiba's stern voice permeated through the air and Mokuba chuckled quietly. Taking out his phone from his pocket, he opened his gallery and proceeded to show a photograph of Kaiba and Alyssa kissing in the front hallway. Alyssa blushed and looked down at her shoes; Kaiba took a deep breath and braced himself for an interrogation.

"Kaiba, you could have just said you were dating her. We won't judge you." At the sound of Yugi's voice, everyone looked at him with confusion, including Alyssa.

"Dating..?" Her uncertain tone of voice earned her the attention of all present. For anyone watching the display from the top of the staircase, this entire event would have looked similar to a tennis match, with all heads turning in one direction simultaneously.

Kaiba shook his head and was about to explain what Yugi meant to Alyssa, when she suddenly pulled a strange face and frowned at Joey. "Don't think of that, please." This made Kaiba turn to Joey quickly and demand to know what he was thinking.

"No... Nothing..." Stepping backwards with his hands in the air, Joey was intimidated by Kaiba's stance and Mokuba stood between them.

"Seto stop! He doesn't realise!" The older brother was tempted to order everyone to leave, but Mokuba continued talking. "Alyssa is very special, okay guys? She knows what we're thinking, so you have to be careful of what you think around her. I know I questioned Seto when he said they were friends, but they really are just friends! I just took that photo at a weird angle and made it look like they were kissing!"

Everyone felt slightly uncomfortable in the large hallway; no one knew what to say or how to say it. Téa made the bold decision to introduce herself after Mokuba's explanation. "My name is Téa Gardner. Nice to meet you Alyssa." While she and Alyssa shook hands, Kaiba gripped Mokuba's arm and pulled him to the doorway to the living room.

"Delete that photo Mokie." The softness in his voice made Mokuba frown slightly.

"Why?" Kaiba released his arm and sighed, running his hand through his hair.

"It might upset Alyssa." Mokuba smiled and nudged Kaiba's arm with his fist.

"You like her, don't you Seto?" Kaiba looked over to the centre of the room where Alyssa was joking and laughing with Yugi and the rest of the group. Her smile was infectious and Kaiba found himself smiling the smallest of smiles.

"Yeah, I might do Mokie." Mokuba chuckled.

"Might? You're head over heels big brother." Kaiba opened his mouth to rebuke Mokuba's comment, but Alyssa ran over and interrupted their hushed conversation.

"Oooh, Mokuba said we can all go in the swimming pool now! Can we?" The others behind her were waiting patiently for Kaiba's answer. They all seemed to have taken to Alyssa quickly, with each of them smiling and eager to speak with her more.

"I don't see a problem with that, provided they all have bathing suits." Kaiba refrained from smiling at her sweet face, all too aware of the group of people present. Téa and Serenity held up their large handbags and shouted in unison;

"We have them all!" Alyssa giggled and ran up the stairs quickly, eager to wear her bathing suit in front of Kaiba. Mokuba showed everyone where they could get changed and Kaiba made his way upstairs, unaware of Alyssa's excitement.


	26. Chapter 25

**A/N: Okay, so I've been trying to be consistent with my updates so far!**

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Chapter 25: Swimming

The swimming pool at the Kaiba Mansion was a large ovular shape, with a shallow side and a deep side. The shallow side was closer to the patio doors, where Mokuba, Yugi, Joey, Tristan, Serenity, Duke, Téa and Mai were sitting comfortably.

Kaiba had taken the time to change into his swim shorts and a flannel shirt, lying on a towel beside the pool. The book he held in his hands seemed interesting enough for him, as he focused on reading rather than conversing with the group of people present. However, when Alyssa walked outside, she earned his full attention.

The Blue Eyes White Dragon underwear set that she had bought the week before was actually a bikini set, and when she realised this, she was eager to show it to Kaiba somehow. She knew how much he loved that dragon and had even developed a certain liking for it herself.

She walked outside proudly, wrapped loosely with a silver sarong and carrying a purple towel over her arm. Mai moved her sunglasses further down her nose and inspected Alyssa over the black rims. Joey and Tristan simultaneously stood up and gawked at her thin, pale body. Yugi blushed and looked away awkwardly, while Téa and Serenity silently envied her thin frame.

Kaiba sat upright on his blue towel, threw his book aside and stared at Alyssa. Through the thin sarong, he could clearly see the Blue Eyes White Dragon on her bikini. He cursed his hormonal teenage body and attempted to pry his gaze from the pale girl. She walked to the poolside closer to Kaiba and unfolded her towel carefully.

A light blue tee-shirt and a pair of white shorts were cleverly concealed inside the folded towel, and these were placed carefully beside Kaiba. Alyssa smirked at him and lay down on her towel, enjoying the feeling of the warm sunlight on her body.

"'Ere Alyssa, wanna come for a dip?" Joey Wheeler's nasally voice breached her ears and she wrinkled her nose.

"No, thank you mister Wheeler." Kaiba chuckled at her dismissal and lay back down. He didn't want any attention from the group present, especially with Alyssa nearby. His book no longer held his interest and he stared at the same page for almost ten minutes, failing to read anything.

His mind was racing; willing him to look over at Alyssa, but also knowing that he shouldn't for fear of being caught out. He crossed and uncrossed his legs awkwardly, finally deciding to stand and find a deck lounger* to sit on.

"Seto, why are you so figgety?" That sweet voice that could melt butter sounded mischievous, and Kaiba turned around to face the source. Alyssa was standing at the edge of the pool, a smile on her perfect lips.

"I'm not used to having company." Turning back toward his home, Kaiba began to walk to his patio doors when something small and warm caught his arm.

"Seto, will you please teach me to swim?"

"Uh..." He half-turned in her direction, looking down into her aqua blue eyes. Her smile had vanished and was replaced by a look of uncertainty, which made Kaiba's heart ache. ' _What's wrong with me? Mokuba's right, I'm head over heels..._ '

Alyssa frowned and looked at his feet. "How can you be head over heels? You're standing upright..." Chuckling, Kaiba took her hand from his arm and led her back over to the pool.

"Let's just say it's an expression." He released her hand and dropped himself carefully into the water. The water enveloped his abdomen, leaving his chest and arms dry. "This part of the pool is still fairly shallow, you can easily stand here..." He held out his hand.

"Um... Maybe I should just walk around the others..." Alyssa looked wistfully at the shallow end of the pool, contemplating walking the few minutes to get into the pool easier. Kaiba sighed and reached out both hands, gripping her waist and tugging her toward the water. She squeaked, but allowed herself to be pulled gently into the pool.

"You want to learn to swim? You need to get into the water." Kaiba stated matter-of-factly. Alyssa shivered slightly in the cool water, and stood awkwardly as the water covered her body up to her shoulders. Kaiba watched her face carefully for a moment, before sighing again and running his hand through his hair. "You should practice going underwater..."

"How?" She looked up into his perfect face and he smirked. Taking a deep breath and closing his eyes, he dipped his head fully under the water. Alyssa took a sharp breath and watched his shimmery figure under the clear water. He surfaced and shook his head like a dog, wiping the water from his face and smirking at the pale girl before him.

"Like that." He crossed his arms and waited for her to follow his example. She looked at the water warily, but closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Slowly, she lowered her head and allowed the water to wash over her. Cautiously, she opened her eyes and focused on Kaiba, who had also disappeared under the water. They surfaced together and both shook their heads, with Alyssa laughing at the strange feeling.

"Okay, what next?" While Alyssa and Kaiba conversed, Mokuba watched with interest. The group of people he was sitting with watched the interaction with surprise and confusion, wondering why Kaiba was being so nice to Alyssa.

"You need to straighten out your body on the water, keep your legs straight and kick." Kaiba helped as she gripped the edge of the pool and straightened herself out. He held a hand on her stomach timidly, suddenly aware of his bare skin touching hers.

"Like this?" Alyssa began to kick and water splashed gently on his face. He shook his head to clear his thoughts and replied.

"Yeah. You need to... Crawl through the water with your hands too." Alyssa righted herself and frowned with confusion. Kaiba sighed yet again and decided to swim to the opposite edge of the pool to show her what he meant. However, Yugi swam toward him and whispered to him, breathless from his vigorous swimming.

"Kaiba... Who is she?" Flicking water from his eyes, Kaiba looked down at the shorter teen.

"Excuse me?" His eyes bore into Yugi's face, his glare shocking Alyssa from the other end of the pool. She followed his lead and swam across the pool to the pair of teens, coming to a sudden stop and splashing the other two people. She wasn't prepared for the deeper end of the pool and slipped back under the water, feet searching for the sunken bottom.

Kaiba slipped under and pulled her back up to the surface, putting her hands on the edge of the pool. "Kick your legs under the water to stay upright Ally, otherwise you'll sink again." She shook her head and directed her gaze at Kaiba.

"Seto, what's wro..." Turning toward Yugi, Alyssa frowned and sighed. "Stop thinking of that..." She kicked her legs and stayed afloat, glaring at the embarrassed spiky haired teen.

"Sorry..." Yugi mumbled, blushing at being caught. Then he suddenly realised what Kaiba had called Alyssa and he smiled a broad smile. "What did you call her, Kaiba?"

"I said..." Kaiba stopped. He frowned. "Mokuba's rubbing off on me... Sorry Alyssa."

"It's alright, I don't mind having a nickname." Alyssa smiled brightly at the two. Kaiba smirked in response and Yugi decided to swim back over to the group of people, lounging in the shallow end of the pool.

"It's surprisingly good weather for October." Alyssa stared confused at Kaiba, wondering why he was 'making small-talk', as those talk shows called it. He kept his gaze directed at the others present, silently appreciating being beside her.

"Yes, I suppose it is..." She hauled herself out of the water and sat on the edge of the pool, dangling her legs in the water.

"It's usually quite cold for my birthday. This year is particularly warm." He chuckled as he pulled himself up to sit beside Alyssa. "Global warming I assume..."

"Huh..." She meant to ask what he meant, but she became acutely aware of his well-built body. His white flannel shirt clung to his body, soaking wet from being in the pool and showed very clearly his muscular abdomen. He noticed her looking and looked down, smirking and standing.

"I forgot about my shirt, I should dry myself." Alyssa stood quickly.

"Me too." She walked quickly to the other end of the pool, where her towel and dry clothes lay on the tiled floor.


	27. Chapter 26

**A/N: So this is the catalyst chapter for the lemony action! ;) Just to warn you, it's all fluff in this chapter :D**

 **Read, enjoy and review! Much love! ❤**

* * *

Chapter 26: The Best Birthday

"Thanks so much you guys!" Mokuba shouted after everyone, as they left the mansion a short while after. "Seto probably wouldn't say this, but I'm sure he enjoyed having people over!" Kaiba was standing at the top of the stairs, watching everyone leaving his home and Mokuba falling over himself trying to thank them all.

"Be sure to come to the Game Shop for Halloween Mokuba!" Yugi shouted before the front door was closed and silence fell in the mansion. He sighed happily and turned to the stairs.

"I'll tidy tomorrow Seto, I'm really tired..." Kaiba nodded in acknowledgement and Mokuba gave him a quick hug before disappearing to his room. Shoving his hands into his pockets, Kaiba debated whether or not he should check on Alyssa.

She ran to her room in a strange state, wanting to hide away from everyone. He wondered if she was overwhelmed, being surrounded by people in a party environment. Genuinely worried for her, he decided to check on her.

For some reason, he chose not to knock on her door before entering her room and simply walked in, giving Alyssa the fright of her life. She was sitting crossed-legged on her bed, wearing her skirt and shirt from earlier in the day and had a laptop open on her bed. Before he walked in, she was looking at something with great interest, but the laptop was closed down quickly when he entered, as she squeaked and looked up in surprise.

"You... You didn't knock!" The blush crept into her face as she stuttered. Kaiba watched with curiosity, before walking over to her bed and pointing at the laptop.

"What were you looking at?" He smirked as her blush deepened and she shook her head.

"Nothing..." Kaiba picked the laptop up and began to open it when she jumped up quickly and grabbed a hold of it. "Seto, it's nothing!"

"Is it something inappropriate?" There was a twinkle in his eye that she hadn't seen before, but she wasn't sure if she liked it or not. "Alyssa, I didn't expect this from you..."

"I was researching something actually... Even if it is kind of weird..." She bit her lip with embarrassment and looked away, but kept a firm grip on the laptop. "Give it back."

Kaiba chuckled darkly. "It's my laptop Ally, not yours..." She met his gaze with such a worried expression that his own expression softened. Releasing the laptop, he allowed her to fall backwards onto her bed and she squealed with surprise.

"Thank you..." Alyssa hugged the laptop to her chest and lay on the bed breathless, her hair fanned out behind her and her eyes sparkling. Kaiba felt himself stir and silently cursed himself.

"Do you want to tell me what you were researching? I might know the answer to your query..." Kaiba tried to back away from the bed and ignore the breathtaking girl in front of him. She blushed even more and looked away, sitting up and putting the laptop under her pillow.

"I shouldn't, I think it's your fault I need to research it..." She stood from the bed and walked over to her wardrobe door, failing to notice Kaiba following closely behind her. Alyssa was about to turn around and ask what he wanted, when his arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her against his body.

"My fault?" He brought his lips close to hers and allowed his breath to ghost along her lips, making her shiver and focus on his mouth. She leaned forward and pressed her lips against his, feeling both relieved and worried simultaneously. Kaiba responded immediately and turned his head slightly, licking her bottom lip and gaining entrance to her sweet mouth.

Alyssa moaned and sighed, running her hands through his chocolate brown hair. That heat between her thighs returned and she gasped with shock, pulling away and fixing her shirt. "I can't... It happened again..."

Kaiba stood in place, confused, watching as she moved away. "What did..?" He had to admit to himself that he enjoyed kissing her and when she moved away, he felt cold and alone. Walking slowly toward her, hands outstretched, he watched as she argued with herself and look up at him with wide eyes.

"It only happens when I'm near you..." Her whispered reply worried Kaiba at first, then he attempted to think rationally and ask what was happening.

"Alyssa, tell me what's wrong..." As he moved closer, she backed away. That is, until she was pressed up against a wall.

"When... When you're near me..." She mumbled, tripping over her own words and blushing a deep red. "Or certain ways that you look at me, or address me..." Alyssa stopped and took a shaky breath. She was practically burning now, being trapped between a wall and Kaiba's muscular body. ' _How do I explain that I feel like I'm on fire? Matron always told me not to discuss that part of my body..._ '

Kaiba raised an eyebrow and smirked knowingly, alerting Alyssa to what she had done. Her face was the colour of beetroot and Kaiba brought a hand up to her face, trailing his fingertips across her cheekbone.

"I think I know what's wrong now..." Alyssa turned her face away from his cobalt blue eyes and gasped as he pressed himself closer to her. "Do you not know what that means?" She shook her head quickly. "It means..." Leaning closer to her, he whispered delicately into her ear. "It means you like me. And you like when I'm near you. But you want to get _closer_ to me..."

She trembled and refused to face him, taking short shaky breaths as he continued to whisper in her ear. "You told Victoria that you knew about sex, so why were you researching it?"

"Because I didn't realise that this was related to sex..." Alyssa's bottom lip quivered and Kaiba could have sworn she was scared. He moved away reluctantly, not wanting to scare her.

"I could explain it to you I suppose..." She looked up in shock at his sudden movement and again when his tone of voice changed. He shoved his hands into his pockets and stood away from her, gaze directed at the floor rather than her. "Or... If I've been inappropriate, I can leave you alone..." He looked to her, impatient for her response.

"You haven't been inappropriate! I... I..." Alyssa moved away from the wall and toward Kaiba. He followed her movements with his eyes, watching with surprise as she made her way up to him and breathed a sigh. "Will you explain it please? It worried me for a while, I thought my body was ill..."

Thoughts filled Kaiba's head as he thought of how to deal with the situation at hand. He still felt as though he were taking advantage of her, but it was near to impossible for him now to control himself around her. "Shall I show you?" The twinkle returned to his eyes and Alyssa decided that she liked the small prick of fear it illicited from her.

Without knowing what he meant, she nodded and was taken completely by surprise as he pinned her back against the wall. He kissed her jawline and moved slowly down her neck, taking the time to kiss as much of her skin as possible. Alyssa pushed her hands against his chest, unfamiliar with the strange feeling of his kisses on her bare skin. His lips danced across her collar bones and then made their way up to just below her ear, causing her to moan softly at the contact.

"See what I mean?" Kaiba smirked and pulled away, allowing Alyssa to catch her breath. She held a hand to her mouth in amazement, realising that she had moaned. A split second later and she also realised the dull ache between her legs, along with the burning sensation. She whimpered at the feeling, looking up at Kaiba through her lashes.

"You made it worse." Kaiba stared at her for a long moment, deciding whether or not he should continue.

"I can make it go away..." His voice seemed rougher, more dangerous than usual. He still had her pinned against the wall, but brought his knee to rest just under her intimate area. "Or I can stop and it'll go away itself after a while..."

Alyssa wasn't sure what was happening, and she wasn't sure if she liked it or not. Kaiba saw her reluctance and once again moved to her ear to whisper;

"I want you to know this has been the best birthday I've had for years. And that's because I have you here." Alyssa's eyes widened with shock and she gasped slightly, her hands gripping onto his shoulders. The shock of his admission and the discomfort in her panties had her confused and trembling in his arms.


	28. Chapter 27

**A/N: Don't judge me! :D**

 **Read, enjoy and review :') Much love ❤**

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Chapter 27: Tiring Night (Lemon)

Kaiba waited for Alyssa's answer patiently. He didn't know what their relationship was and yet here they were, bodies pressed close together. He decided that if she wanted to continue, he would treat her how she deserves to be treated; the centre of attention, and no less. Planning what he would do to her, he noticed her blush and smile of embarrassment and realised she was eavesdropping.

"I'm still waiting for an answer..." His gruff voice made her shiver and nod without realising. Leaning in and pressing his lips against hers, he licked her bottom lip until she let him deepen their kiss, his knee slowly moving against her crotch. She moaned again and opened her eyes with worry, only to find Kaiba's eyes closed. He groaned lowly when she moaned and rubbed his knee even faster against her panties.

Alyssa gasped at the contact and broke the kiss, but Kaiba's lips continued to kiss her neck like before. His hands moved to her breasts and his thumb slid across the front of her bra, making her jerk slightly and he smirked against her skin. She was suddenly plucked from her sitting position on his knee and carried over to her bed, set down gently as Kaiba continued to kiss her. He leaned over her, carefully, trying to hide his hardened member from her. The last thing he wanted was for her to get scared.

She kept a firm grip on his shoulders as his assault on her neck stopped; he fingered the hem of her shirt, asking her with a facial expression if he could continue. Alyssa grabbed her shirt and pulled it off, allowing Kaiba to kiss her collarbones and travel down further, toward her breasts. When his lips reached her bra, he stopped and looked at it with confusion for a moment, before gripping her around the waist.

He pulled her up to him and reached another hand behind her, unhooking her bra and pulling it completely off. Alyssa stared at him with horror and attempted to shield herself from his view, but his hands found her breasts and her attempts were thwarted. He rubbed his thumb over her her bud and she jerked again, her moans becoming louder each time he touched her.

"Seto... Oh my R..!" Her swearing was interrupted by Kaiba's mouth, as he kissed her passionately after hearing her moan his name. One of his hands continued to knead her breast while the other moved south, towards her skirt. Alyssa paid no heed to his traveling hand, consumed entirely by his mouth and busy hand.

Kaiba slipped his hand under her skirt and pulled his lips away from Alyssa, watching as she gasped for air. His smirk didn't warn her of his intentions as he rubbed her through her panties and she jerked and shivered simultaneously.

"My Ra Alyssa, you're soaked already..." Kaiba groaned and rested his head against her chest, his hand continuing to pleasure her through the thin cotton barrier. He found her small bundle of nerves and stroked it, making Alyssa arch and moan even louder.

"S... Seto... I need..." Alyssa managed to mumble; the ache and the scorching heat were almost unbearable. Kaiba stopped his ministrations and looked at her incredulously, wondering if she was capable of talking dirty.

"Need what?" He waited for her to answer for a few seconds, watching her face as frowned with discontent.

"Don't stop, please..." She wriggled beneath him, taking one of her hands from his shoulder and reaching down to touch herself. Kaiba chuckled at her display, grabbing her hand and placing it above her head.

"What do you want me to do Ally?" Kaiba whispered seductively, watching Alyssa shift uncomfortably on the bed below him. She blushed and looked away, suddenly feeling embarrassed at her greed.

"I.. Want you to..." She stopped as Kaiba's hand gripped her chin and forced her to look at him. She focused on him and realised that he wanted her to say it to his face. She blushed even more and took a deep breath: "I want you to touch me."

Kaiba's cobalt eyes held her aqua eyes as he stroked her arm innocently, deciding to make her talk dirty. "Touch you where Ally?" Alyssa's other hand moved from his shoulder and both hands reached south, stopped mere centimeters away from her soaking panties by Kaiba's much bigger hands.

"Seto, please! Its feels so weird, like I need something more..." Kaiba's finger pushed aside her panties and he stroked her bare skin, surprised to find her clean shaven. Finding her opening, he slipped his index finger inside and watched with amusement as Alyssa arched her back once again, moaning loudly.

"Fuck Alyssa.." All too aware of her soaking wet tightness, Kaiba had difficulty stopping himself from thrusting into her with full force. ' _This is my first time, how do I know what to do..?_ ' he wondered, adding another digit. He moved his fingers in and out of her tight opening slowly, his thumb brushing over her button in slow circles. Her hands gripped his shoulders almost painfully, as she gasped and jerked with Kaiba's movements.

Unable to withstand it anymore, Kaiba stopped and pulled himself away, cursing and muttering profanities in every direction. Alyssa watched through half-lidded eyes with dread, thinking he was about to leave, leaving her in this predicament by herself. Instead, he tore his shirt from his torso along with his swim shorts and shocked Alyssa with his erection.

Moving back over to her, he gently tugged on her skirt and threw it to some corner of the room, doing the same with her panties. Both were as naked as the day they were born; sweating, gasping for air and staring at one another in shock. Alyssa knew Kaiba was strong; she had seen his muscles through his wet shirt outside at the pool, but seeing his abdomen in all it's beautiful naked glory took her breath away.

Kaiba on the other hand, was staring at what he thought was the most beautiful sight in the world. Her perfect hourglass figure; size B-cup perky breasts; her flawless creamy-white skin; her brown hair fanned out on the bed sheets she lay on; her legs outstretched in pleasure and her inner thighs glistening in the low light of her lamp.

"Alyssa... Do you trust me?" Kaiba's question was answered with a sure nod of the head and he positioned himself against her. "It's going to hurt, from what I've heard, but I'll be as gentle as possible, I promise..."

"Is that meant to fit inside of me?" Alyssa sat up quickly and stared at his erection with wide eyes. Kaiba smirked and pushed her back gently into her lying position. She opened her mouth to protest, but was stopped by his member penetrating her body. He moved slowly and carefully, resisting the urge to thrust into the perfect girl beneath him.

Alyssa turned her head to the side and gasped, certainly unused to the intrusion. Although his member stretched her in ways she couldn't comprehend, she didn't allow herself to squeal or cry. Years of being experimented on in the institution had taught her that no matter how loud the screams, or how strong the tears, it never did any good against pain.

He sheathed himself fully inside of her, resting his head on her chest as he continued to refrain from moving too quickly for her. "Does it hurt much?" She shook her head, relieving Kaiba of his worries and he relaxed slightly. "Tell me when you're ready." They lay together like that for a few moments, with Alyssa enjoying the feeling of Kaiba being close to her.

Then she moved, to check if she was ready or not. Both moaned at the friction and Alyssa gripped Kaiba's shoulders again, telling him to move. He pulled out and pushed in, settling into a rhythm for the couple as they moved together. After a short while, Alyssa felt herself nearing her release but didn't realise, unfamiliar with the tightening coil in her lower stomach.

"Seto... I think..." Her admission was cut short when Kaiba suddenly reached down and rubbed his thumb eagerly against her bundle of nerves. She called out rather loudly and Kaiba was suddenly reminded of Mokuba at the other end of the mansion. He pressed his lips to hers and drowned out her moans and calls, thumb continuing it's assault and moving himself even quicker inside of her.

He suddenly felt her clamp down on his member and cursed, pulling himself out as he climaxed. Alyssa called his name and squeezed her legs around his waist, hugging him to her as she climaxed. Although both finished at the same time, Kaiba watched as Alyssa stayed in the same position for almost half a minute, then fell backwards onto the bed as she released him from her grip.

Kaiba lifted her gently and placed her gently into her bed, then climbed in beside her. She cuddled up to him and sighed happily, wrapping her arms around his waist as his hand crept around her shoulder.

She fell asleep first, head cradled into his chest; Kaiba watched her sleeping peacefully, wondering how his drastically his life had changed in the space of two weeks.


	29. Chapter 28

**A/N: I got no feedback for the last chapter, I hope the story is will interesting for everyone :D Read, enjoy and review! ❤**

* * *

Chapter 28: Mike's Investigation

Alyssa awoke alone the following morning, sitting up and rubbing her tired head. "Was that a dream..?" she wondered aloud. Looking down, she noticed a new duvet cover on her bed and the clothes she had discarded the night before were neatly folded on a chair nearby.

She felt stiff and slightly sore, stretching as she prepared to get out of bed. Throwing the duvet from her body, she rubbed her eyes and noticed the note folded neatly on the locker beside her bed. She blinked several times before taking it from it's place and reading it.

 _"Ally,_

 _I apologise for leaving you, but I have to go to work today for a short while. I tidied your room and changed your bed clothes as an apology. I'll be home soon._

 _Seto x_

 _PS: It might be a good idea not to mention last night to anybody yet."_

Giggling, Alyssa put the note with the others she received from him and went to take a shower.

* * *

"I'm sorry Kaiba, I meant to drop in yesterday but Victoria reminded me that you wouldn't want to be harassed for your birthday." Mike Simm opened a manilla folder as he spoke, his hands shaking as he did.

"Something the matter Mr Simm?" Kaiba leaned back in his large leather chair, resting his elbow on the armrest and his head on his hand. Shortly after receiving Mike's email the evening before, he received another email requesting that he go to work the day after his birthday instead. ' _I could be at home right now, spending time with Alyssa and Mokuba..._ '

"Yes! Everything's a lie!" Mike exclaimed, throwing the folder onto the desk, his briefcase beside the desk and raising his hands into the air with despair. Kaiba raised an eyebrow at Mike's behaviour, clicking his tongue as he assessed his disheveled state.

"Elaborate?" Mike walked away from the desk and looked down at the flooring, running both hands through his hair.

"I... I went through Victoria's things..." He stopped, taking a deep breath before continuing. "She has this box in the attic, a private box. No-one is allowed look in it. But... I did..." As he spoke, Kaiba decided to look at the contents of the folder and wasn't surprised to see a photograph of Victoria with Gozaburo.

The child in the photo was young, maybe five or six years old. Despite this, Kaiba easily recognised Victoria's features; her nose and eye structure were the same as now, as was her hair colour. She was sitting on Gozaburo's knee in a kitchen, but not the kitchen of the mansion.

"Where was this taken?" Kaiba asked curiously. For the first time since meeting him, Mike witnessed an attitude from Kaiba that wasn't cold or annoyed.

"Oh... It says so on the back of the photo..." Mike turned away from Kaiba and collapsed into a chair. Turning the photograph around, Kaiba read the back with interest.

"Asuka, 1983..." Looking at the kitchen, he decided it was a traditional Japanese house and wondered when Gozaburo used to live a normal life.

"Kaiba... I didn't believe you and that girl... I'm sorry..." Mike apologised aloud into the silent office.

"Her name is Alyssa..." Kaiba stood and walked over to his large window behind his desk. "And I think your reaction was understandable, given the circumstances." He shoved his hands into his pockets and sighed. "Have you confronted her about your findings?"

Mike scoffed. "Of course not."

"Did you put everything thing of hers away as you found it?" Kaiba's question amused Mike and he chuckled darkly.

"As best I could, yes." Kaiba whirled around to face him and scowled.

"If she's anything like Gozaburo, she'll be paranoid and check that box regularly..." He frowned at his feet. "Shit..."

"What do you mean?" Mike wasn't aware of Gozaburo's personality and Kaiba was reluctant to elaborate.

"He..." Sighing, Kaiba took his phone from his pocket and prepared to dial. "He used check his belongings everyday. I once replaced a book on his shelf when it fell onto the floor and he confronted me about it."

"That's a bit obsessive..." Mike watched as Kaiba dialed a number and held the phone to his ear.

"Hello?" Alyssa's timid voice came through the phone and Kaiba sighed with relief.

"Alyssa, you were right about Victoria's relation to Gozaburo..." He paused after hearing her mutter something under her breath and chuckled when he heard what she said. "I must be a bad influence on you."

Mike was unaware of the conversation at hand and frowned with confusion at Kaiba. "She said she told us so..." Kaiba explained casually, before turning away from Mike and speaking quietly into the receiver.

"Are you alright?" He walked away from Mike and waited, needing to know if she was okay.

"Of course I am, why wouldn't I..." Back in her bedroom at the mansion, Alyssa realised what he must have meant and blushed. "Y.. Yeah, I am..."

"Good. Again, I'm sorry for leaving..." Kaiba pinched the bridge of his nose with his forefinger and thumb and sighed. "I can assure you, I didn't want to..."

"Seto, stop..." Alyssa squirmed where she sat at her desk and crossed her legs. "I don't mean to be rude, but that doesn't help..." Kaiba chuckled.

"Right, okay. Mike and I are coming to talk with you, we'll be there in about ten minutes." He hung up the phone and turned around to face Mike. "We're leaving, get your evidence."

"Where are we going?" Mike stood and gathered his photographs and letters, placing them back into the folder and putting it into his briefcase.

"The mansion." Kaiba put his laptop into his own briefcase and secured the lock. "Then you have to return that photo before she realises it's missing."

"No shit..." Mike followed Kaiba into his limousine and they reached the mansion within minutes.

"Alyssa?" Opening the front door and walking inside, Kaiba took off his shoes and called out for the young girl. "Ally, where are you?" Mike was close behind Kaiba, having taken off his shoes already and looking with curiosity into the living room.

"Seto?" From the top of the stairs, Alyssa responded to Kaiba's calls and smiled at the two men looking for her. Mike bowed respectfully and greeted her properly.

"Miss Alyssa Takahashi, I apologise for my rudeness during my last visit." Alyssa waved a hand in the air dismissively and smiled at Mike.

"I understand, it's alright." She turned to Kaiba with a serious expression. "You said I was correct? What made you change your mind?"

Kaiba stared at her for a moment, before answering. "Mike found evidence." Alyssa raised an eyebrow and looked at Mike.

"You searched her box in the attic." Alyssa's nonchalant comment amazed Mike. He stared at her, confused beyond belief.

"You... You did it again... You somehow knew what I was thinking..." His stammered accusation was met with a small smile and a nod.

"Yes, unfortunately." While Alyssa and Mike conversed, Kaiba looked Alyssa over and quietly appreciated her choice of clothing. She wore a pair of light blue skinny jeans and her white and navy striped shirt. Overall she looked very comfortable and inviting.

"Well, we need to discuss what to do next..." Kaiba motioned for them both to follow him and they made their way toward his office.


	30. Chapter 29

Chapter 29: Making Plans

In Kaiba's home office, Mike and Alyssa sat across from Kaiba and each one had a pen and paper before them. Alyssa stared into space for a moment, unaware of Kaiba staring at her, before she began writing rapidly on the piece of paper.

Mike noticed Kaiba's intent gaze and smirked to himself at the display. ' _I have to admit, they make a cute couple... I wonder if Alyssa is aware of his feelings..._ ' His thought was heard by Alyssa, who looked up at him incredulously.

"Please Mr Simm, we're supposed to be busy..." She then turned to Kaiba and blushed under his stare. "Kaiba, so are you."

At the use of his surname, Kaiba straightened himself and glared at her. "Miss Takahashi, what have you prepared so far?" Alyssa smirked and held her paper up.

"If we look at this in a timeline, it's obvious Gozaburo wanted Victoria to keep an eye on you Kaiba. I'm not too sure why Mr Simm was dragged into this, but he is key to this situation." Holding up her piece of paper, Alyssa showed the two men what she had written down.

"Victoria will definitely figure out that you went through her box, and will report that to Gozaburo. This means whatever reason he was watching Kaiba for, his plan will be accelerated and he shall be forced to take action sooner than planned."

Kaiba was stunned. "That makes perfect sense, almost too perfect."

"What do we do?" Mike asked. His question was focused toward Alyssa and she shrugged.

"I don't know, I've never been in such a situation before. I was locked in a room until three weeks ago." She looked down at her hands and sighed. "But I think perhaps we should keep a closer eye on Se...Kaiba, and Mr Simm. Both of you are potentially in danger now."

Kaiba watched Mike's expression turn grim and he nodded. "I'd suggest working from home, but Victoria lives with me..."

"Well you can't move in here. Besides, staying away will alert her to our awareness of this situation..." Kaiba quickly cut in. Resting his arm on the desk and his face on the palm of his hand, he sighed with discomfort. "This is like fucking Battle City all over again..."

At the mention of the profanity, Alyssa blushed and scribbled unnecessarily on the paper in front of her. This was noticed by an amused CEO, who wanted nothing more than to tease her. But having Mike at the mansion and the seriousness of the situation, he refrained from doing so.

"You could send him on a business trip, couldn't you?" Alyssa's whispered suggestion appealed to both men and Mike smiled a broad smile.

"That would work!" Kaiba nodded in agreement and he took his laptop from his briefcase immediately.

"I'll email you the details; hopefully you can get home before Victoria, replace the photo and show her the email before she gets suspicious." Kaiba typed fluidly on the laptop as Mike stood and bowed.

"I'll leave straight away. Thank you both for helping me." Both stood and shook hands, before Kaiba decided to show Mike to the door. Alyssa stood a few minutes later, deciding to go find Kaiba.

She wasn't exactly sure of the layout of the house yet, and decided against focusing on Kaiba's location. The last time she focused on him, his thoughts were very provocative and she had a difficult time calming herself.

She walked out of the office and turned right, continuing down a long corridor she had never before seen. She turned left when the corridor allowed her to do so, and immediately recognised the hallway on which her bedroom was located.

She was about to walk toward her bedroom when she felt a sudden compulsion to turn left instead, facing a large door that she never noticed before. Cautiously, she opened the door and peeked inside.

It was Kaiba's bedroom, there was no doubt about that. The room was similar to hers, with a bed, desk and two other doors in sight. Curious, she walked inside and closed the door quietly; her breathing was all that could be heard in the spacious room.

Alyssa was suddenly spun around and pressed against the wall nearest the door. She squealed with surprise, but relaxed when she saw Kaiba.

"What are you doing in my room?" His curious voice amused Alyssa and she giggled.

"I was looking for you..." She stopped and realised what that implied. "No, wait a minute, that's not exactly what I meant..." His lips were suddenly touching hers and she returned the kiss eagerly.

"You found me." He broke away and spoke lowly, almost whispering to her in the darkness of the room. She barely noticed the curtains were closed and the light remained off; her concentration was wavering and it was because of him.

"Seto... We should focus on Victoria..." She breathed, feeling his lips on her neck. He growled and shook his head against her skin.

"Focussing on other people while in a relationship isn't advised Ally..." He hummed on her pulse and she moaned, putting her hands on his chest and pushing him away.

"I'm not really in a relationship yet, but that's beside the point..." Despite her attempts to push him away, he continued to assault her neck as his hands pinned her waist to the wall. His thumbs began circling her hip bones and she looked down.

"I'll have to change your relationship status then... Because as far as I'm concerned, you're mine." His hand moved to her chin and forced her to look at him. He stared directly into her misty aqua blue eyes and smirked at her expression. "You tell me I should stop and then look at me like that? Are you trying to torture me?"

"N.. No, of course... Not..." Alyssa stumbled over her words, trying desperately to remember why she had to stop him. Kaiba wrapped his strong arms around her and plucked her from the wall, bringing her over to lie on his bed. He smirked again, wondering if she knew what he planned on doing.

When she suddenly felt the soft bedsheets beneath her, Alyssa snapped out of her daze and blurted out; "Victoria! Seto, we can't just ignore her!"

Kaiba stopped. He frowned at her before smirking again. "You have serious moodswings, do you know that?"

Her eyebrows furrowed with confusion and she opened her mouth to protest. "What's moodswings?" Kaiba chuckled.

"When your mood changes severely in the space of like, two minutes..." When Alyssa's frown remained, he sighed and moved away from her. "I think I misunderstood your actions earlier... I could have sworn you scribbling without thought on the piece of paper meant that you were listening into my thoughts again."

"I didn't mean to!" Alyssa was an emotional wreck. She didn't know what to do. Victoria and Gozaburo were a definite problem, but Kaiba's actions were making it difficult for her to focus. "Seto, I'm sorry... But I really think we should deal with Victoria before things get out of control..."

"Why are you so damned paranoid?" Kaiba crossed his arms and waited for Alyssa to answer. She opened her mouth and closed it again, much like a goldfish in a bowl.

"Uh... Be... Because..." She looked at his stern expression and wondered if he was upset because she said no to him. "From watching all those films in my room, there was always some conspiracy or plot to kill someone else..." Kaiba clicked his tongue and frowned.

"Those films were not real."

"Some were based on true happenings."

"Alyssa, there is nothing to be paranoid about..."

"How can you say that? All this time Mike's wife has been spying on you!" Alyssa and Kaiba stared each other down in the silent room. Alyssa sat upright on his bed and held his cool gaze.


	31. Chapter 30

Chapter 30: Halloween

"Seto, I've only been here a few weeks but I know this sort of thing isn't usual.." Alyssa tried justifying her worry. "We don't know why Gozaburo has in store for you. If I was closer to him, I would check for you... But I can't..."

"Would you like to know what else is unusual? My reaction to you, my attraction to you. Never before have I acted this way... I'm sorry, I'm acting very hormonal..." Kaiba found his desk and sat down on the chair.

"Hormonal..?" Alyssa's ignorance made Kaiba chuckle and he crossed his legs.

"Yeah, hormones. They're chemicals released from the brain that make you do things..." His pathetic attempt at explaining hormones made him laugh even more and Alyssa watched him closely.

"You're usually cold, especially toward Yugi and his friends..." She mumbled. Shaking her head, she stood from the bed and made her way toward the door. "Mokuba will be home soon. I need to write some things into my diary and then we can talk..."

"Alyssa..." His call stopped her and she turned to face him. "I really am sorry..."

"Don't be." She smiled at him and blushed. "I'd love nothing more than to stay here with you, but we have things to do..." And with that, she left the room.

* * *

Michael and Victoria Simm were boarding a plane to Shanghai, China, after receiving an email from Kaiba to sort out the technical errors in their database. It wasn't in Mike's job description to go overseas, but Victoria understood his position and agreed to let him go.

It was the afternoon that Mike showed Kaiba the photograph when Victoria suggested they go together. After leaving the mansion, Mike arrived home quickly and replaced the photograph with precision. He then sat in the living room of their modest house and waited for her to return home.

"Michael? I'm home..." Victoria peeked around the corner into the livingroom and saw Mike typing something on his laptop.

"Hey Vick..." He smiled at her and turned the laptop so she could see. "Kaiba wants me to go to Shanghai to deal with their database problems."

"Oh Michael! Shanghai! China! That's so far away..." She walked over to him and sat down, seemingly emphasising her revealed cleavage as she did. The dress she wore was short and red, barely covering her curvaceous body.

"I know... But it means a better paycheck this month if I go..." Mike aimed the laptop so that he could respond to the email and continued to speak. "Where did you get off to?"

"Why don't we go together?" Her seductive voice alarmed Mike. She avoided answering his question as her hands made their way to his chest and the nape of his neck.

"Victoria..?" He frowned at her, confused at her behaviour.

"Come on Mike! We can get a sitter, go to Shanghai and enjoy each other for a while!" Mike was on the verge of saying no, but then thought of something.

"Yes, I like the sound of that." Mike smiled and kissed her quickly. "If you go find a sitter and start packing, I'll email Kaiba about two tickets." Victoria smiled a broad smile and left his side, calling out for the butler to bring her a phone.

* * *

"I'm heading over to the Game Shop Seto, need anything while I'm out?" Mokuba was dressed to look like Jin Kazama, an anime character from Namco's Tekken games. It was Halloween night and Mokuba was going to Yugi's party as promised.

"No thanks Mokie, I don't think we need anything here." Kaiba strolled into the front hall dressed in dress pants and a loose flannel shirt. "Get there safely, and get home safely too. Unless you want to stay over at Yugi's tonight..."

"That might be safer..." Mokuba ran upstairs to find a rucksack and packed spare clothes for the day after. He couldn't wait to see Serenity again. And Kaiba knew it. When Mokuba returned to the front hall, Kaiba decided to warn him before he left.

"Mokuba, under no circumstances are you to bring home a pregnant Serenity, understood?" Mokuba blushed a beetroot colour and a clatter was heard from the kitchen. Alyssa stood with her hands on her temples, squeezing her eyes shut and focussing on Kaiba accidently.

' _Make him stop..._ ' She thought. The older Kaiba frowned at the younger and shook his head with distaste.

"Mokuba, there's a telepathic lady in the house..." Mokuba's face darkened with embarrassment and he nodded meekly. Alyssa sighed with relief and walked into the hall.

"Bye Mokuba, enjoy the party!" She decided against telling him off, especially when Kaiba had already done so. He nodded in response and left, leaving Kaiba and Alyssa alone in the house.

Kaiba caught Alyssa's lips in a gentle kiss and she smiled against his mouth. Pushing him away, she looked around warily. "Seto, what if someone..."

"I sent everyone away for Halloween. We're completely alone." Kaiba's smirk caused Alyssa to smile even more and she giggled. "But having said that, we have a number of issues to resolve and I'm afraid you're more involved than what you may think..." Alyssa's eyebrows furrowed as she listened to him, then relaxed with curiosity when Kaiba handed her a printed sheet of paper.

She looked at it bemused, then creased her eyebrows as she read the words more carefully. She realised it was Ryuuka Takahashi's writings and gasped, tears threatening to fall from her aqua orbs.

 **"She celebrated her ninth birthday yesterday and as I always do, I brought her the box of chocolates after hours. She was delighted to say the least, she seems to enjoy talking to me. She does not know who I really am to her and hopefully, she never will. But if she is told sometime in the future of my relation to her, I would like to leave her a letter.**

 **I have handwritten this letter for my darling child in the hopes that one day, she will want to know of her adoptive father. The letter is hidden in a locker in Domino train station, a number very dear to my heart. The combination for the lock is the same as the number of the locker. I hope she is clever enough to find it."**

"Oh Ryuuka, what are you talking about?" Alyssa walked slowly into the living room and sat on a sofa, thinking over what he had written. Kaiba leaned against the doorframe and watched her, crossing his arms as he did so.

"To add to that... The doctor who checked you has suddenly disappeared off the face of this planet." She met his gaze and sighed, making her long brown hair fall over her shoulder.

"You knew he was connected to Victoria... Seto, you promised me it would be okay..." She closed her eyes and tried not to panic.

Memories of being in her room as a small child, needles breaking her delicate skin and cold fluids flooding into her veins sent shivers up her spine and she shuddered. Kaiba moved to her side slowly and rested a hand on her lower back. She flinched away at the contact and opened her eyes with fear.

"Hey, what's wrong?" He frowned at her reaction to his touch and retracted his hand slowly. When she looked at him, her aqua eyes held fear and his expression softened. "Alyssa?"

She turned away quickly. Tears fell down her cheeks in streams as she squeezed her eyes shut and stood up from where she sat. "He hurt you..."

Kaiba's cold ran cold and he stood also, almost squaring up to the young girl. "Excuse me?"

"Gozaburo... He abused you... And you aren't worried about what he'll do to you now..." Alyssa stuttered over her words as she spoke, sobbing uncontrollably. "Seto, this situation with Victoria is worse than you think..."


	32. Chapter 31

**A/N: Thank you all to those of you who continue to read my random squabbles! ❤**

* * *

Chapter 31: X-Men in October, Parents in November

Kaiba narrowed his eyes and watched Alyssa carefully as she spoke. "What do you mean?" His question was spoken in a voice that Alyssa could only describe as terrifying. His expression showed anger, but unbeknownst to Alyssa, he was far from angry. He was, in actuality, scared.

"When Mike showed us the photograph of Victoria and Gozaburo, I could feel it Seto. I could sense the danger emanating from the photo. I didn't say while Mike was here... I thought... It was best..." As she explained herself, Alyssa walked backwards away from Kaiba while he moved toward her with long strides.

She soon found herself backed against a wall and looked up at him somewhat frightened. "I meant what you said about Gozaburo hurting me." Despite the look in his eye, Kaiba's voice was now level and calm, and seemed curious to know how she knew. He wasn't thinking of Gozaburo when he spoke to her, and that was usually how she got her information.

"Well... When you touched my back.." Alyssa averted her gaze to the carpet beneath her feet and took a shaky breath. "Does this mean that you... You weren't thinking of him?" Kaiba shook his head. "For Ra's sake... It's getting worse again..."

"There's no need to worry about it getting worse... Have you ever seen a movie called "The X-Men?" The sudden change in subject confused Alyssa, but she shook her head indicating that she didn't know the film. "Mokuba loves the movies... And he's always wanted to have superpowers..."

She smiled up at him and sighed. "We haven't time to watch movies now though, as you said already, we have a list of things to do..." She tried moving around his muscular body but he stayed in that one spot, thwarting her attempts to move away.

"I have Mike tracking down the doctor and Victoria has gone with him to China, so we have time to watch a two-hour film." Kaiba chuckled and leaned in quickly to kiss her perfect lips, savoring the softness and sweet taste. He moved away and over to the shelves that adorned the walls surrounding the television, searching for the film he thought would put Alyssa's mind at ease.

Alyssa, on the other hand, watched Kaiba as he moved. She stayed against the wall as she did so, her aqua eyes following his every move with interest. He seemed to be oblivious to her interest and carefully investigated the titles in front of him.

"Of course, the movie I'm looking for is pure fiction, but at the same time it's based on what scientists think is possible." Kaiba mumbled almost incoherently, scanning the shelves. "They believe that over time, human DNA will mutate and allow humans in the future to have certain abilities... Though your abilities arose from experiments, as opposed to natural mutation..." He suddenly reached out and plucked one of the plastic cases from a high shelf.

"What kind of abilities?" Alyssa's small voice was barely audible in the large room, but Kaiba heard her. As he placed the disk into the DVD player and found the appropriate remote control, he faced her and replied.

"Well... Charles Xavier, the man in this movie who establishes the school to teach people with extra abilities how to manage their abilities, is telepathic like you. There have been reports of telepathics and psychics in the world, with small cases as proof but none as obvious as yours." He smirked and then asked; "Should we make some popcorn?"

"Popcorn?" She finally moved from her position at the wall and found herself a seat on the sofa, crossing her legs. "What's popcorn?" Alyssa grabbed a nearby cushion and held it to her chest, hugging it tightly as she gazed upon the magnificent man before her.

"I keep forgetting how little you know..." Kaiba sighed and shook his head. "Wait here, I'll be right back." He smirked at her and left the room, in search of the mysterious popcorn. She sat and stared at the blank television, waiting patiently for Kaiba to return to her side.

The television suddenly lit up, and the brief introduction to "The X-Men" began to play. Alyssa jumped and fell from her seat, crawling slowly on all fours around the coffee table to kneel in front of the television set. She raised a timid hand and placed it on the screen, watching as the lights beneath her fingertips dimmed considerably.

"Starting without me?" Alyssa quickly spun around to find Kaiba putting a bowl of something fluffy on the coffee table, along with two empty glasses and a bottle of Coca Cola. "You really shouldn't be waving your ass in the air like that, it's not ladylike."

"Sorry..." Alyssa stood and dusted off her knees, turning back toward the screen slowly. Yes, it was still working; the small lights in the screen were glowing with their usual brightness and nothing seemed wrong. She frowned and whispered softly into the room.

"I didn't turn it on."

"Then who did?" Kaiba's question hung heavy in the October air, with Alyssa staring down at the bowl blankly. "Oh, so you did, but accidently?" Kaiba nodded in understanding, even without Alyssa's response. "It's okay."

Moments later, both were sitting on the sofa together and 'The X-Men' finally started playing, with help from the remote the Kaiba held. Alyssa watched the film with interest, completely obsorbed in the complications of having extraordinary abilities; Kaiba, on the other hand, watched her.

* * *

November officially marked the following day, but the snow didn't cover the ground for another week. Alyssa felt the cold biting at her nose and cheeks whenever she walked outside, watching with dismay as the trees lost their colourful leaves and formed more skeletal structures in the vast gardens of the mansion.

Both herself and Mokuba would wander around the mansion, inside and out, searching for something worthwhile to do. The younger Mokuba spoke excitedly about a holiday known as Christmas, where a magical fatman in a red suit came down your chimney and left presents under a tree for the children in the house.

"It's actually meant for you to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, a very important person in the Christian religion..." Mokuba explained to her one day. They were sitting on a cold metal bench under the thin remains of a cherry blossom tree, both wrapped up warm with thick coats, scarves and gloves.

"Christian religion?" This particular conversation caused Alyssa to research Christianity and led her to asking Kaiba a very amusing question that same day in his office. "Seto, I would like to be a Christian."

Kaiba leaned back in his chair, elbow resting on the arm of his chair and his palm holding his jaw. "What makes you say that?" Not that he had a problem with her decision; he himself was a Christian, as was Mokuba.

They didn't practice their religion much, going to Church every so often either to light a candle for their parents or to say a quick prayer. Kaiba had to admit that he didn't partake in the latter too often...

"Mokuba told me about Christmas and Jesus and I... Just looked it up..." Her voice faltered as she spoke, losing her confidence as she thought about her abrupt decision. Kaiba took in her flushed appearance; despite being inside for over an hour, her cheekbones and nose were still stained pink from the cold she had encountered outside.

"Well Ally, this might be a little unusual but..." He sat up straighter and clicked on a folder on his laptop. "You're already a Christian." Turning his laptop around, he let her view the record of her being Christened three months after she was born. Just before her parents died.

A vague recollection of her parents formed in her mind; two pairs of green eyes gazing down on her; pale skin surrounded both pairs of eyes; her mother was on the left and her father was on the right; dark lashes framed her mother's eyes and dark, curly hair framed her heart shaped face. Her father wore small-rimmed glasses and had a receding hairline. Both of them were smiling.

Alyssa smiled, not realising that what she had seen Kaiba had also seen. She accidenltly allowed herself to focus on him and heard, very clearly, the words;

' _I miss mine too..._ '


	33. Chapter 32

**A/N: Many apologies for the delay in updates!**

 **I've been swamped with college work; it's the end of the academic year, when everything from assignments to exams are due and I'm struggling to keep up with everything :L**

 **Anyway, next chapter! Read, enjoy and review! ❤**

* * *

Chapter 32: Dangerous

When the snow finally fell, Kaiba took to staying at home in his office to work. He didn't want to risk an accident on the icy roads of Domino city and injure himself or Mokuba. Or Alyssa. It was strange for him to think of himself, Mokuba and someone else, now that Alyssa was living with them.

He asked her somewhat nervously if she would accompany him out to dinner on the twelfth day of November, explaining to her the concept of dating someone on their way. They chose to walk the short distance to the restaurant; well, Kaiba decided. He liked seeing her rosy cheeks bitten by the cold wind and this gave him the perfect excuse to hold her hand. Not that he needed an excuse.

The dinner date was excellent; Alyssa was laughing with Kaiba for the entire evening and anyone watching them would assume that the CEO was on a date with a girl who had no special abilities whatsoever. While they were ordering dessert, Kaiba's phone rang quietly and he excused himself from the table. He walked to an outside dining area, where he was completely alone and answered the call.

"Sir, we found a record of the doctor you asked us to find." Roland's deep voice carried the positive message across the phone and Kaiba smirked.

"Where?" He needed to know. That doctor had a sample of Alyssa's altered DNA and he needed to destroy that vial before Gozaburo or Victoria could get a hold of it.

"In a small village known as Asuka." Kaiba froze. The image of the photograph appeared in his mind and he growled low.

"Damn..." That means Gozaburo has the information. He knows about Alyssa. He will try to take her away for more testing, or... Worse...

"Seto? What's wrong? I know I shouldn't pry into your thoughts, but you were thinking rather loudly..." Alyssa's startled voice reached the ear that the phone wasn't pressed against and he turned to face her.

"It's fine. I'll be back to the table in a moment..." He smirked at her, hopefully reassuring her, and she nodded minutely before walking away again. "Roland, keep tabs on him. I'll be home in an hour."

"Yes sir." When Kaiba returned to the table, two dishes covered with colloshes lay in front of Alyssa. She smiled at him, such a warm, happy smile, that Kaiba gave a small smile in return. She had waited for him. She seemed to be genuinely happy to have him back beside her.

"Sorry, I was speaking with Roland..." His apology was unusual for him, and Alyssa knew it.

"I know, I heard his voice. That's why I went looking for you..." Realising what that implied, she bowed her head. "I was worried about you, you didn't seem too happy when you knew who was calling. I focused on you because I was worried..." Alyssa almost began to cry, but Kaiba reached a reasurring hand over toward her and gripped one of her hands in his.

"Ally, why are you upset? I know sometimes I might be touchy about you listening to me, but that's because I think things that you may not approve of." She looked up from her lap and blushed under his gaze.

"I felt guilty for spying on you." She sighed. "Shall we continue our evening? I didn't want to ruin our date..." Kaiba smirked and nodded.

"Yes, we should continue. And you haven't ruined anything, calm down." He removed the colloshes and revealed the desserts underneath, both forgetting about the problems at hand. They finished their meal before long and began walking back to the mansion in the dark. After several minutes, Alyssa looked around herself nervously, then stiffened at Kaiba's side when they were no further than ten minutes away from the mansion.

"Seto..." She whispered. He turned to her, worried. "Seto, she's nearby..." Alyssa's grip on Kaiba's hand tightened and she stopped breathing. He caught both her hands and looked straight into her aqua eyes. Before he could ask what she meant, her eyes widened and she gasped with fear. "She has a weapon!" She choked out.

"Who, Alyssa? What's going on?" Kaiba barked his frustration at her, but she never replied. She simply started running, breaking free from his grasp easily. "Alyssa?!" Kaiba's alarmed voice barely reached her ears as she ran blindly. The cold night air tore at her fragile skin and burned her lungs as she gasped, running as fast as she could.

' _Mokuba is home alone, if Victoria gets there before I do..._ ' Alyssa wasn't used to using so much energy, so she was slowing pretty quickly. Kaiba was seconds behind her when he heard her, and his stride became stronger. She was suddenly whisked into his arms and carried over the rough tarmac, Kaiba's legs much more capable of getting them home in time. When they reached the front door, Kaiba all but dropped Alyssa and unlocked the door, running inside. Mokuba was nowhere to be seen.

"Mokuba!" Kaiba yelled into what seemed to be an empty mansion. Alyssa closed her eyes and tried to focus, but couldn't find him. She began to panic, her eyes widening as her breathing became gasps, but stopped breathing entirely when she noticed the small square of yellow paper beside the telephone near the front door.

"Seto... A note..." Her whisper caught Kaiba's attention as she picked it up and read it aloud. "'Dear Seto and Alyssa, I decided to go to Joey's place for the night. Roland will drop me there. Get home safe. Mokuba.' He's fine, he's safe..." She started to cry, her tears falling silently down her face with relief. Kaiba took the note from her hands and wrapped an arm around her, reading over the words while trying to soothe her.

"What were you saying before, about Victoria? She isn't here..." Kaiba asked quietly. Alyssa mumbled something, then stopped.

"I can't see her anymore..." She frowned with confusion. "Seto, she was here, in the mansion... And she had something in her hand, a weapon. I got worried because it was blurry, I was too far away to see her properly..." Alyssa suddenly flinched and moved away from Kaiba.

"What..?" He began, but Alyssa shook her head.

"It was me again, sorry... It's getting worse..." She looked wistfully toward the stairs, and failed to notice the shadowed figure moving behind Kaiba. The click of a gun was heard in the dim light, and with a terrified yelp, Alyssa turned around to see Victoria pointing a gun to Kaiba's head.

"Alyssa, it's been a long time since we last met. How are you?" Victoria's beautiful voice contrasted with her sinister expression. The pistol in her hand looked too big to be held by a woman, but her fingers curled around the weapon with ease. Kaiba stood with his legs slightly apart, his hands raised in an innocent gesture.

"Victoria, put the gun down." Alyssa's voice quivered as she watched Victoria closely. Kaiba's eyes widened and he warned Alyssa too late about the shadowed figure behind her. Two hands gripped her upper arms and Alyssa screamed, flailing her limbs uselessly in an attempt to escape. Kaiba moved slightly to help, but the barrel of the pistol made contact with the back of his head.

"Don't move..." Victoria's voice was cold and emotionless, the gun in her hand seemingly giving her a different personality. Alyssa started to panic again and her breathing became irregular. Her vision dimmed and she almost collapsed where she stood, but for the hands gripping her shoulders. Kaiba saw her distress and his eyebrows furrowed.

"Alyssa, calm down." Kaiba's firm but gentle voice reached her ears and she looked up at him. Victoria scoffed and nodded to the man holding Alyssa, apparently the signal to take her outside. Alyssa screamed again as the man pulled her cruelly to the limousine waiting outside. It wasn't Kaiba's limousine, it was Gozaburo's, as the emblem on the side of the vehicle read 'GK'.

"Victoria, let her go!" Kaiba's voice was both angry but pleading, as he turned around to face her. She scoffed once again and shook her head.

"Seto Kaiba, I seriously thought you were smarter than this... Experiment Thirteen belongs to Gozaburo Kaiba. And you will never see her again." Victoria almost looked compassionate as she lifted the gun from his head. But instead of putting it away, she hit Kaiba's left temple with the butt of the pistol.


	34. Chapter 33

Chapter 33: Kidnapped

When Alyssa was brought out to the limousine, the man holding her pushed a damp cloth to her face. The smell emanating from the cloth was sickening, and it pulled her into a deep, dreamless sleep. She awoke some time afterwards in a strange room. It was small and homely, as though she were in a small cottage. Alyssa had never seen a traditional Japanese cottage before though, so she felt very uneasy in the small room.

It was a perfect square she decided, with a small wooden chair beside a small wooden table. The bed that she lay upon was thin with a simple mattress and thin blanket. She stood up quickly and closed her eyes, focusing on the people outside the room, trying to decipher where she was. But to her complete surprise, she couldn't find anybody around. She dashed to the door and gripped the handle, shaking it roughly in an attempt to open the door.

"Locked." She hissed. She was helpless and alone, missing Kaiba already. When she thought of him, she began to cry quietly, wondering if Victoria had actually pulled the trigger after all.

* * *

"Seto!" Mokuba's voice dragged Kaiba from his sleep, an irratic shaking of his arm accompanying the concerned voice. He sat up and answered him groggily, barely asking him about Alyssa.

"Where... Is Alyssa?" His left temple was pounding with pain and he clutched his hand to his head.

"I can't find her..." Mokuba replied remorsefully. Kaiba dropped his hand and cursed, trying to stand with Mokuba's help. He made it to the front door and squinted at the midday sun.

"How long have I been out?" Kaiba rubbed his head in frustration and sighed, knowing Victoria had successfully kidnapped Alyssa. Mokuba frowned and looked at his watch.

"Well, I don't know what happened last night, but it's a little before noon now so..." Kaiba groaned and dropped his head into his hands.

"Over twelve hours, she's been gone for over twelve hours..." He looked up abruptly. "Mokuba, we need to find her. How? How do we track someone outside of the system?" His look of helplessness scared Mokuba. He had never seen his older brother look so lost.

"We can't Seto..." Mokuba's whisper worsened the despair that Kaiba felt and he suddenly thought of Mike. Wasn't Victoria supposed to be in Shanghai with him? Kaiba pulled his phone out of his pocket and dialed Mike's number.

* * *

The chair in the room was in the centre of the floor, pointed at the door and Alyssa sat upon it with her arms crossed. She was waiting for someone to come in and explain what was happening. It had been several hours since she had woken up, but there was no sign of life in the vicinity.

"Come on..." She muttered, crossing her legs and shifting in her seat slightly. With a small gasp, she heard a faint mumbling somewhere outside the room. She closed her eyes and focused, suddenly afraid when she realised it was Victoria.

"I have her in there. She's probably due some food now, do you want to bring it in or shall I?" A man's voice replied, gruffly, that he did not wish to see her yet. Victoria nodded, and Alyssa focused more. She saw the layout of the small cottage, which room was where and where she was. She was surprised with the openness of the cottage, and decided that it wouldn't be difficult to run if she could make her way out of the room.

There was a click as the door unlocked and Victoria waltzed in, wearing a casual pair of dress pants and a blue ruffled blouse.

"Oh good, you're awake." Normal. Casual. Like Alyssa wasn't trapped in a small room. Like she hadn't kidnapped her. Alyssa shivered before narrowing her eyes and addressing Victoria.

"Let me go." Victoria smiled a sad smile and shook her head.

"I can't do that Ally." Alyssa stiffened at the familiar nickname. Nobody called her that, only Kaiba did. She frowned with anger and stood swiftly.

"You can't call me that! Bring me home!"

"But where is your home? Your room? Seto's mansion? No, Thirteen, your home is wherever we say your home is." Victoria placed a plate of food on the wooden table and turned back to a confused Alyssa. "You belong to my father, Gozaburo. Seto had no right to take you from the institution, even if he has control over the corporation."

"I'm my own person! I have a right to go wherever I want!" Alyssa all but shrieked at her. Victoria shook her head again.

"Seto's teaching you some bad habits... Thirteen, I can't help you. I can bring you food and make sure you're clean, but I can't help anymore than that." And having said that, she left the room, locking the door as she did.

Alyssa stared at the locked door for a long time after Victoria left. She thought about what Victoria had said and dropped her head into her hands. ' _She's right, isn't she? Seto should never have helped me, and I should never have complicated his life..._ ' The tears crept into her eyes and spilled over, flowing down her face in streams. She tasted the salty water and she gasped, beginning to hiccup. Creeping over to the bed, she curled up as small as she could and sobbed loudly, clutching the thin pillow and thinking of Kaiba.

* * *

Kaiba worried when Mike failed to answer his phone. He ended the failed attempt of a phone call and instead connected to the hotel where he was supposed to be staying. Mokuba stood nearby, watching over Kaiba carefully. He knew his brother had hit his head pretty hard off the floor when he collapsed and he now held a bag of ice against his left temple.

A strange woman with a high pitched voice answered the phone, greeting Kaiba in Chinese. He sighed and asked for someone who spoke Japanese. The woman stuttered something in Japanese and strange music began to play. Kaiba growled at being put on hold.

Mokuba suddenly thought of something and took his phone from his pocket. Kaiba raised an eyebrow as he dialed Roland's number and began to speak quickly.

"Roland, I need you to find Victoria Simm." A muffled response had Mokuba frown with frustration and he replied in a rushed tone. "Roland, she was here. She held Seto at gunpoint and took Alyssa. We need to find her!" Kaiba realised Mokuba's plan and agreed whole heartedly.

"Of course! If we find her, then we find Alyssa!" He cried out. Another lady on his phone greeted him in broken, but determined Japanese and Kaiba requested that they check the room that Mike was supposedly staying in.

"I apologise Mister Kaiba, but no one has checked into that room. We expected him yesterday, but he never arrived." Undiluted fear flooded Kaiba's body and he cancelled the call.

"Mike's missing..." He told Mokuba, watching him with a wary expression. "Mike never made it to Shanghai. He didn't even leave the fucking country..." He dropped the bag of ice to the floor and paced, back and forth. Mokuba had never heard Kaiba swear before, and this made him nervous.

"Seto, we need to find Victoria. She has Alyssa..." He began, but Kaiba shook his head.

"Mokie, we haven't told you everything..." Mokuba's face paled considerably and he nodded his head weakly. "Victoria knows Gozaburo... And he isn't dead. I think Doctor Wasaki, Victoria and Gozaburo planned this kidnapping. That's why I need to find her..."

Mokuba's jaw dropped and he stammered, scared by the mention of Gozaburo. "As... Seto, we have... T.. To get her back..."

Kaiba nodded once again. "Trust me, I know." It was silent in the mansion for the following few hours, with the exception of Kaiba typing on his laptop and Mokuba making various phone calls in an attempt to find any of the missing people.

It was silent in the small dwelling where Alyssa was being held, save for her sobbing and random outbursts. Gozaburo and Victoria had left the building, probably to find a better place to stay for the evening. Alyssa tried to block everything out, but Victoria's thoughts had her insides twist with fear.


	35. Chapter 34

**A/N: So sorry for the delay in posting! My tablet stopped working and I tried to send all my fan fiction files to my laptop, but I sent the wrong files... :L**

 **I have forgotten how far I've gotten with this story, and I keep brainstorming new ideas. I also plan on drawing some concept art for my stories and posting them on DeviantArt. Links will be included on the relevant stories!**

 **Thank you all so much for your support!**

 **Read, enjoy and review! Much love! ❤**

* * *

Chapter 34: Nerves

Kaiba began to panic about actually finding Alyssa, knowing the longer they had her the more damage they could do. His mind drifted as he thought of her and how far she had come; how she knew very little about the world around her as she took her first steps out of her small room and into the real world; she thought he was a soldier and commented on how beautiful his eyes were.

"She's too innocent..." He mumbled, rubbing his hands over his face with stress. Mokuba looked up from his phone and frowned at his older brother's distress.

"Seto, we're going to find her." He tried his best to sound reassuring, but Mokuba's voice faltered and he sounded almost as nervous as Kaiba did. The older of the two brothers looked up and at the younger, suddenly aware of how he must seem to him.

"I know we will Mokuba. I'm just worried that we'll be too late..." Kaiba's reply with thick with remorse. He could only imagine if Gozaburo brainwashed her again. How would she react to him? To Mokuba? To the war-free (for the moment) world? He shook his head. He had to find her.

* * *

Alyssa lay on the bed in the room, staring at the door. She didn't even look at the food that they brought to her, let alone eat any of it. How long had she been here now? And why were they just holding her here? She suddenly sensed someone coming and sat up straight, wanting answers. The door opened and in came Victoria, with someone she easily recognised in tow.

"We meet again Alyssa. How are you today?" Doctor Wasaki greeted normally. He sat in the chair next to the wooden table, placing his bag of instruments on the floor beside him. Victoria tutted at the untouched food and sighed, picking up the plate and waving it in front of her face.

"Has Seto taught you to waste food, Thirteen?" Her dry joke made Alyssa nauseous and she glared at her.

"I'm not eating anything you bring for me." Alyssa's snarl was apparently amusing, as both the doctor and Victoria laughed at her expense. The next comment to slip from the doctor's mouth made her insides freeze.

"It's almost as though she were three years old again, and refusing to eat because she misses the other orphans."

Alyssa opened her mouth to rebuke him, only to leave her mouth ajar as she remembered the first time they met. It wasn't when Kaiba wanted her to see him, oh no, that was not the first visit. He checked on her regularly at the institution for about five years or so, before disappearing and not ever returning.

He was the one to perform the 'experiments' on her, bringing large syringes full of different coloured liquids and injecting them into her thin arms. He was the one to record how she reacted, and he was the one who suggested to Gozaburo that her 'immunity' be checked. She shuddered at that last memory, not wanting to relive that painful hour of her life.

But why was he back? He left, seemingly for good, years ago. And why was he with Victoria?

"Thirteen, we need to check a few things..." Victoria's voice pulled her from her thoughts and Alyssa shook her head.

"No."

"I promise they won't hurt." Alyssa glared at the doctor, knowing all too well that his promise was a lie.

"I said no! Let me go!" She jumped from the bed and ran to the door, yanking it open and attempting to throw herself outside. Victoria cursed under her breath and grabbed onto her hair, pulling her backwards into the room. Alyssa screamed and held her head, trying to pry Victoria's hand from her locks.

Throwing her onto the floor just inside the room, Victoria bent down to snarl into her ear. "Try that again and I'll make you sorry."

Alyssa began to cry and cradle her aching scalp, as Victoria closed the door and Wasaki opened his bag to take out a notebook and a pen.

"I just want to ask you some questions Thirteen. Firstly, how long has it been since Kaiba took you from the institution?" Wasaki was apparently ignorant to the cries of the young girl, as she lay on the floor and sobbed into the carpet. Victoria grabbed the back of her shirt and yanked her upright, forcing her to sit on the bed.

"Answer the question."

"I'm no... Not sure. A few weeee... Weeks?" Between sobbing and hiccuping, Alyssa finally answered and Wasaki wrote down her answer.

"And have you gotten sick at all?" She shook her head. Wait, did a nosebleed count as being sick? She didn't think so, and decided against saying it. "Have you started menstruating?"

"No..." Alyssa quietened and whispered in response, hoping that they would simply ask her questions and leave her alone. Wasaki made a few more notes in his notepad and bowed to Victoria, before leaving the room.

"What are you going to do to me?" Her voice was barely above a whisper, and Victoria sighed.

"Whatever Gozaburo wants us to do." Alyssa shivered and thought of Kaiba, accidentally showing Victoria her feelings for him in the process. She shook her head. "Foolish child. Do you really think he's kept you this long because he likes you?"

"What do you mean?" She frowned at Victoria's cruel words. Victoria, on the other hand, simply smirked and chuckled.

"He didn't know what else to do with a freak like you. That's why you're a secret, hidden away in his mansion. Figures, doesn't it?" Alyssa stared at her, her words cutting her deeper than any knife could. "I doubt he's even looking for you, he's probably relieved that I took you. One less burden for him to carry."

And with that, Victoria left the room and locked the door. Alyssa stared at the door after her departure and thought about what she said. Didn't Kaiba like her at all? And he was going to find her... Wasn't he?

She suddenly felt sick to her stomach and lay down on the thin mattress, thinking about the two brothers. Perhaps they weren't looking for her? Victoria just confirmed that she hadn't shot Kaiba, so he was still alive. But maybe he and Mokuba are just fine? Kaiba would probably be working on his newest project and Mokuba would be focused on his video games.

Victoria pointed out that Alyssa was a burden, so maybe they were both relieved to be rid of her. She watched as the sunlight faded and eventually she was consumed by darkness, but she was unable to sleep.

* * *

"Roland, you need to be more insistant than this!" Mokuba was all but yelling into the phone at him. "Demand to know if people had seen a limousine with the letters 'GK' on the side! Someone must have seen something!" More incoherent mumbling. "Look, just... I know, we all are Roland... Okay, fine."

He hung up the phone and pressed the palms of his hands to his eyes. Roland was asking pedestrians in Domino if they had seen Gozaburo's limousine with no luck, and Kaiba was trying to find Mike. He had sent someone to his house to find it empty, and he wasn't reported to have boarded the flight to China. Finding Victoria would be even more impossible, but Kaiba was certain that if he found Mike, he could find her.

"Seto, we need to try something else... This isn't working..." Mokuba concluded. Kaiba grunted but continued typing on his laptop. "Seto, this isn't working!" Mokuba repeated with emphasis.

"I know Mokuba, let me think!" He snapped, looking down at his lap in frustration. There was nothing else that he could do. He looked back up at his laptop and resumed typing.


	36. Chapter 35

**A/N: So the views for the last chapter were through the roof! Thank you all so much for your support! Enjoy the chapter! ❤**

* * *

Chapter 35: Experiments

Alyssa curled up even more when Doctor Wasaki walked into the room. She cleared her mind, allowing his thoughts to become no more than static and ignored him as best she could. He set something heavy on the wooden table, then addressed her.

"Hello again, Thirteen. Or is it Alyssa? Victoria referred to you as Thirteen, so I will too." His sarcastic greeting scared her all the more, as she could sense his intentions through his tone of voice. "Now, this might hurt a little... It may help if you faced me though..." The all-too familiar sting of a needle piercing her skin broke her concentration and her attempts to remain still were thwarted. She sat up quickly, looking down at the needle in her right forearm and gasping.

"What do you think you're doing?" She tried to take the needle from her arm, but Wasaki stopped her. "Let me go!"

"Stop struggling!" Wasaki barked and she flinched away from him. "I have orders, okay? I need to take more blood samples. Gozaburo had you locked away for one reason, but he now has another reason to monitor you..."

Alyssa narrowed her eyes. "He doesn't own me. Ryuuka was my father. And I decided to live with Seto, so I should be allowed to go home." Wasaki focused his attention on her arm and watched as her blood filled the small vials he had connected to the needle.

"Ryuuka is dead." The silence in the room hurt her ears.

"I know." Wasaki looked up at her and frowned.

"How did you know?" He studied her face. The sadness reflected in her eyes made her appear older, and her already thin face appeared thinner. He noted the untouched plate of food on the table as he set his bag down and sighed, shifting his weight on the small chair.

"My abilities have evolved since the last time we met. Seto informed me of Ryuuka's passing indirectly some weeks ago..." Her words were laced with guilt and regret, and Wasaki didn't need to be psychic to know that she was thinking of the CEO.

"Why do you like him?" His question caught her off-guard, and as Wasaki removed the needle from her arm, she contemplated her answer.

"To be honest... I don't know..." She blushed, despite her situation and looked away, embarrassed. "I could always see through the two way glass in my room, always seeing other young men and women alike. But that first day that he arrived to see me, it was different. He was different.

"He couldn't see me, but I focused on him. He was angry. At me. But it was because he thought I was a danger. When Ryuuka told him that he should terminate me, he refused. I was shocked that he didn't kill me. I sensed that he was nervous, but also he was softened by me.

"He protected me, body and soul. He taught me things I didn't know before. He showed uncharacteristic behaviour toward me and made me feel special. But not special as a telepathic. Special as a girl, a young lady, someone to be loved and cherished."

As Wasaki listened, he began to feel guilty for alerting Gozaburo to her presence. He knew what Gozaburo had planned to do with her, and even he was uncomfortable with the idea. As far as he was concerned, this naive young girl did not deserve to be punished in such a way, and he wanted to help her.

More tears threatened to spill from her aqua blue eyes, but she blinked them back. She choked out a weak laugh and sniffed, a confusing reaction. Wasaki frowned and paid more attention to her, hoping she explained her actions.

"Seto Kaiba hates it when a girl cries. He can't stand it." She bit her lip and trembled, aware of Wasaki's stare.

' _Seto, I miss you... I would love nothing more than to see you again... But I don't think we will ever see each other..._ ' She closed her eyes and didn't notice Wasaki leaving the room, phone in hand. He felt guilty at the thought of Alyssa being trapped there, and decided it was time to do what was right.

* * *

Kaiba stopped his typing and stared into space. Mokuba noticed this and stood, waving a hand in front of his face in an attempt to break his stare

' _Seto, I miss you... I would love nothing more than to see you again... But I don't think we will ever see each other..._ ' Alyssa's thoughts reached Kaiba's mind and he froze, hearing her familiar, but faint voice inside his head. Before he could tell Mokuba what had happened, his phone began to ring.

"Kaiba." His automatic response. He ignored the caller ID and answered the phone blind, as they say.

"Kaiba... It's Wasaki..." At the mention of the name, Kaiba stood from the sofa and glared in front of him. "Before you react negatively, I want to tell you something. I have less than half an hour here, but I can tell you where she is." The doctor's voice was low and hurried, as though he were hiding from someone.

"What?" Kaiba's bark don't go unnoticed by Mokuba, who froze and waited for Kaiba to continue. He watched as Kaiba's face became confused and then settled into its typical determined look. "I'll look into it." And with that said, he ended the call.

"What's going on?" Mokuba dared ask. Kaiba smirked and turned toward his younger brother.

"Wasaki just told me where Alyssa is. And what time Victoria and Gozaburo will be gone from the premises." He chuckled and shook his head. "Later tonight, I'm heading over there. Domino police will accompany me." Mokuba smiled a broad smile and cheered, excited to have found a way to get Alyssa back.

"Wait, big brother... Before he called, you looked off into space. Why?" Kaiba stiffened and remembered the weak voice he had overheard. He shook his head.

"It was nothing..." And nothing more was said about it.

* * *

Gozaburo entered the room shortly after Wasaki left. Alyssa watched him with a wary eye, uncomfortable to be in the same room as a monster. She knew that Kaiba hadn't pushed him out of the window, so it was attempted suicide that she saw in his memories.

"Hello, I'm your creator, Gozaburo Kaiba." His smug greeting made Alyssa feel nauseous as she noted his eyes appraising her from head to toe. She shifted her weight with discomfort on the bed, wanting nothing more than for him to leave. "I hear your abilities have gotten stronger. I wanted to know how strong..."

"I'm not showing you anything." The snarl that emanated from her mouth contrasted with her pretty face and Gozaburo laughed, amused that she would refuse to do as he commanded. He strode across the small room in two strides and gripped her right wrist, squeezing and hurting her already frail hand. She cried out in discomfort and looked at his timeworn face, fearing what he might do to her.

"I said, I wanted to know how strong. What can you do Thirteen?" His demand made her quiver and flinch, her control over her abilities slowly slipping away. A flash of a younger Seto Kaiba crossed her mind and she shut her eyes, not wanting to see the horror that this man unleashed on him.

"No! Stay away from me!" She struggled to free her trapped hand with no success. Gozaburo's other hand grabbed her other wrist and pushed her down onto the bed unmercifully.

"I'm losing my patience. I asked a simple question and I want a simple answer!" His bark was too loud in the confines of the small room and Alyssa squeaked with fear. She kept her eyes closed and focused on Kaiba, which helped her to calm herself. It was ironic that the one man who usually distracted her so much was now helping her to control herself in this dreary place.

The hands on her wrists reminded her of the night she and Kaiba had slept together, and she sighed, wishing he was nearby. Gozaburo flinched and moved away from her, suddenly furious.

"He defiled you..." The glare in his eyes made Alyssa more scared than ever and she wished she hadn't opened her eyes at all. A sudden noise outside the window broke the tension in the room and Gozaburo frowned. Alyssa thought, for a fleeting second, that she could hear someone she knew.


	37. Chapter 36

**A/N: Another follower! Thank you so much for your support! Read, enjoy and review! I love feedback! :D**

* * *

Chapter 36: Return Home

Gozaburo made the decision to see if Victoria was still outside the room. He glared at Alyssa, not forgetting what he wanted to scold her for. "I'll be back soon, don't try anything funny," was his last warning, as he opened the door and locked it behind him. Alyssa sighed with relief and gazed up at the window, wondering what had happened. The sound of a key in the lock made her jump with surprise and she hid behind the chair.

She blocked everything out and tried thinking of Kaiba, instead of Gozaburo. It amazed her how much she needed the CEO, how much she craved his attention and his touch, his scent and his words. She literally fell asleep every night, thinking of his perfect, masculine voice. It was her lullaby. The door rattled slightly with the persistence of someone attempting to open it and the tears cascaded down her cheeks, as she feared for her well-being.

The door finally opened and Kaiba's head appeared from behind it. "Alyssa?" He called into what seemed like an empty room. When he noticed the familiar mass of brown hair quivering behind the wooden obstacle, he sighed with relief. He entered the room fully, oblivious to the sound of Alyssa sobbing until he reached her. ' _No..._ ' Was his first thought. ' _Did her hurt her?_ '

"Leave me alone..." She mumbled quietly between sobs. Kaiba knelt beside her and placed his hand on the small of her back. She froze, and for a split second, Kaiba worried that she might try to hurt him. But as she turned around slowly and looked up into Kaiba's face with shock, overwhelming happiness beginning to seep into her expression. "Seto..." She hiccupped, slowly reaching out her arms to him. She had to touch him, **feel** him, to know that he was really there and not just a figment of her imagination.

"I'm here..." His quiet reply caused her to quicken her movements. Her arms reached his waist and his hands rested on her back and the nape of her neck. She began to cry again and pushed him away slightly, only to pull him back so that she could kiss him. She couldn't believe he was there, that he had found her. After watching endless amounts of documentaries about Seto Kaiba, she knew that he had his ways of finding people. But she never thought he would find her.

"Seto... I... They have my blood... And Gozaburo..." Random words tumbled from her mouth in her confusion and he chuckled lightly. He brought a hand to her face and touched her cheekbone gently, as though she might break if he wasn't careful enough.

"Wasaki will destroy the blood samples. As for Gozaburo, Domino Police are on their way." His smirk put her at ease and she nodded, standing with him. She held on tight to his arm, afraid to let go for fear that something would happen to him. As he led her out of the cottage, the sound of sirens filled the air and Alyssa watched, mystified, as the policemen and women stood out from their vehicles. They took their pistols from their holsters and directed them at the cottage door.

"Come out with your hands raised!" A policewoman shouted. Kaiba and Alyssa moved slowly but surely away from the small house, toward the security of the police line formed by their cars.

Victoria's gun suddenly appeared at the doorway, pointed at Alyssa and Kaiba as they attempted to escape. Victoria stood out from the safety of the cottage door and hissed at the pair, stopping them in their tracks. "Don't move, or I'll pull the trigger."

Alyssa didn't realise how long she had been locked in that small room, and was surprised to see that night had descended around them once again. In the light, but cold breeze, Alyssa could hear, could smell, could feel everything around her; the tension in the police force as they focused on Victoria; the cologne that clung to Kaiba's signature trench coat; the chirping of birds and other wild animals in the dense overgrowth surrounding the small cottage.

As she and Kaiba stopped moving, Victoria commanded them both to turn around and face her. Kaiba growled as they complied, turning in a slow circle and finally stopping slightly in front of Alyssa, ready to protect her. His stance showed no fear, just annoyance and Alyssa vaguely remembered when they had danced in the front hall of the mansion together.

"Kaiba, Experiment Thirteen belongs to Gozaburo." Victoria's cold, stern voice filled the air and Kaiba tensed, wrapping an arm around Alyssa's shoulders subconsciously. "Give her to me now, or I'll kill you where you stand." Alyssa couldn't help but whimper at the seriousness of the threat.

"Victoria, give it up. Alyssa is mine and nothing you do will change that." Kaiba growled, watching with slight surprise as Gozaburo walked out from the cottage behind her. He smiled his sinister smile, one that imprinted itself in Alyssa's memory and she shivered. Before anyone could say anything else, Alyssa suddenly howled and fell limp where she stood, collapsing onto the ground like a puppet with its strings cut.

"She conveniently forgot all about that, didn't she?" Gozaburo's mocking tone of voice angered Kaiba, to the point where he was torn between helping Alyssa and attacking his adoptive father. Alyssa flinched and cowered where she lay on the rough dirt, her aqua blue eyes widening even more with each passing moment.

"What are you doing to her?!" Kaiba's yell of fury at Gozaburo dissipated into a softer tone, a much softer tone as he tended to the tortured girl in front of him. "Alyssa, what is it? Tell me what it is!" He held her, even as she thrashed and tried in vain to escape his arms. Her eyes were unfocused and her lips attempted to speak. She finally found Kaiba's eyes and choked out, holding a hand to his face, allowing him to see what she could see.

Kaiba gasped as he was suddenly lying down on a gurney, wearing a strange white gown and noticed people standing around him, dressed in scrubs. He looked from face to face with fear, and soon realised that he was, in fact, Alyssa. He easily recognised Gozaburo's face behind a mask and felt the sharp lick of fear that spiked through Alyssa's body, as she realised that this man planned to hurt her.

"Record number 3-5-6-1..." Someone was speaking into a recording device somewhere out of his line of vision. "As we have observed Thirteen's amazing healing abilities in the past, Mister Kaiba decided to test for himself how well the Experiment can heal herself. Start test immediately."

Kaiba felt as vulnerable and helpless as Alyssa, watching with bated breath as Gozaburo took a sharp scalpel from the nearby surgical trolley and held it to her arm. Searing pain shot through her forearm as he pushed the scalpel deep into her skin and pulled it down, creating a shallow and rather short wound. Blood flowed quickly down her arm, pooling on the gurney beneath it.

The coppery smell of blood filled the air and both Kaiba and Alyssa began to feel violently sick. Kaiba had never reacted to the sight or smell of blood before, (in fact, he wasn't aware that blood even had a scent) but for now he was Alyssa and her pain was his pain. But almost as soon as the blood pumped from the wound, the skin surrounding the inflicted area had reconnected and healed, leaving no trace of scarring.

Gozaburo smiled his sinister smile and pressed the scalpel again to her skin, this time, on her calf. Her screams and pleads to be left alone went unnoticed, as he watched with a perverse look of enjoyment the skin opening with ease, like a knife slipping through butter. Once again, the wound bled for mere seconds before it was closed up and healed over.

Alyssa took her hand away from Kaiba as the torture continued, each time the scalpel penetrated her smooth skin the wounds became deeper and deeper, before Gozaburo wondered aloud if she could reattach severed limbs. She found herself crying again, reliving the memories her mind had tried hard to suppress and forget,

Kaiba turned around and stood, focusing his intense glare on Gozaburo and Victoria. He could see policemen and women moving in slowly behind them, waiting for the right moment to pounce and detain them both. His right foot lifted and moved forward, along with his left foot, slowly.

"Stay where you are!" Victoria hissed at him, readying the pistol in her hand. Despite her earlier courage in the mansion, holding the gun directly at Kaiba with the intention of shooting unnerved her and her hand shook, which didn't go unnoticed by Kaiba. He moved forward again, this time reaching out a hand to hopefully take the gun.

Alyssa would never forget what happened next. Time seemed to slow down as Victoria gasped and her hand tightened, finger curling tighter around the trigger and shooting a bullet directly at the young man. Alyssa screamed, her own torture forgotten once again, as her hand reached out toward Kaiba and the small piece of metal with despair.


	38. Chapter 37

**A/N: Many apologies once again for the lack in updates! I've been really busy the past few months, but I'm going to finish this story regardless!**

 **I do not own any rights to the 'X-Men' movies; I have merely mentioned it in my story for entertainment purposes only.**

 **I also do not own any rights to the 'Yugioh' series; again, merely for entertainment purposes.**

 **I will be posting an original story to my wattpad account very soon - Visit y profile to find out more!**

 **One with the story! Much love! 3**

* * *

Chapter 37: Frozen In Time

As the bullet raced for Kaiba's chest, his eyes closed and body tense, Alyssa screamed and briefly remembered Charles Xavier from 'The X-Men'. Her hand straightened out and her head began to hurt as time really did slow down, before coming to a complete halt.

Victoria's malicious but surprised smile never left her unmoving face; Gozaburo's sinister smile was plastered across his weathered face; the police moving from behind them to grab their arms were frozen with their hands outstretched; Kaiba standing in front of Alyssa in a defensive stance, eyes closed as he braced himself for the pain and perhaps death from the bullet that Victoria had shot; even their thoughts, which were always moving, always changing, remained the same.

But all of these things were by the by in Alyssa's book. The silver bullet headed toward Kaiba's heart (' _Or where his heart should be..._ ' Victoria thought with contempt) was frozen mid-flight, no more than two feet in front of Kaiba. She stood carefully and dusted herself off, looking around her with unease, before walking over and inspecting the deadly piece of metal.

She wasn't sure what would happen if she touched it; would it fall? Or stay in the air? ' _Either way, it won't hit Seto..._ ' Alyssa reached out her hand once again and used a gentle finger to push the bullet upwards. It stayed in the air. She giggled, pushing it completely out of harm's way. She strolled over the noiseless dirt and took the gun from Victoria's hand, placing it on the ground.

Alyssa studied Kaiba's face for the shortest time, before standing behind him and allowing time to speed up again. Slowly, the bullet made its way past Kaiba and into a tree, and everyone resumed their actions as normal. The police caught a bewildered Victoria and displeased Gozaburo, clicking handcuffs onto their wrists fluidly. Kaiba opened his eyes and looked around, sighing with relief when he saw Alyssa was unharmed.

As his arms wrapped around her once again, she smiled with pride and whispered into his ear. "I did it." He held her an arm's length away from him and studied her, wondering what she meant. She shook her head and smiled such a broad smile, that Kaiba couldn't keep himself from smiling slightly back at her. The policeman in charge of the arrest approached them and assured them that Victoria and Gozaburo would be locked away for a very long time. Kaiba nodded, before approaching Victoria and asking about Mike Simm.

"I left him in Domino airport, in a storage closet of sorts." Alyssa winced at the thought of Mike being locked in a small closet and Kaiba held her closer to his body. The next hour or so flew right over Alyssa's head; one minute, she was standing in a field beside a cottage, in Kaiba's arms and watching as two evil people were taken away by police; the next, she was at Kaiba's mansion, lying on her bed with Kaiba lying beside her.

He refused to leave her out of his sight when they finally returned home. She refrained from having a shower straight away, as he followed her into her bathroom and refused to leave. He casually reminded her that he had seen her unclothed before and she blushed a dark shade of red, before walking out and lying on her bed lazily. He followed and lay next to her, watching her every movement.

"I'm so sorry, Alyssa." The words tumbled from his lips empathetically and she turned toward him, surprised.

"Whatever for?" Her voice sounded strange, considering she hadn't spoken a word for so long. He studied her perfect face and noted that she did indeed look thinner, though not much. Dark shadows surrounded her eyes and her voice was strained.

"You're tired. You should shower and then sleep." He stood up from her bed and took a hold of her wrists, pulling her upright gently and leading her to the bathroom.

"Seto, no... Really..." She mumbled, as she tried to keep up with his long strides. He turned on the shower and waited until it was hot, but not too hot, before guiding Alyssa under the spray. "My clothes!" Her squeal of shock made Kaiba chuckle and he gripped the hem of her shirt with his thin fingers, pulling it over her head.

"We can always wash your clothes again, a bit of water won't destroy them." His nonchalant comment confused Alyssa, and in her moment of confusion, Kaiba unbuttoned her jeans. He knelt down in the bathroom, pulling the denim gently down her legs and helped her stand out of them. She wore nothing else but her matching underwear.

"Why did you apologise?" As she attempted to hide herself from his view, she asked him the question that he avoided moments before and he stiffened, trying not to look at her pale skin. He decided to ignore the question again and distract her, not wanting to talk about the memories he had seen through her eyes.

"Matching underwear Ally? Perhaps you're not as innocent as you claim to be." His cobalt blue eyes kept his gaze focused on her face, not trusting himself to look at her body. Her chocolate brown hair had flattened under the water that fell atop her and he brushed a lock out of her face.

She blushed again, turning around and facing the wall of the shower. "I wear matching underwear because it makes more sense than unmatching underwear actually." She looked down and found that she was inspecting herself, for evidence of the wounds that Gozaburo had inflicted on her.

"Shouldn't you take it off? You're in the shower after all..." Kaiba's suggestion sent a shiver of excitement down her spine and she blushed again, rubbing her arms and trying to ease the goosebumps that formed there. She shook her head, despite the enticement of his suggestion.

"I'm not stripping down in front of you Seto." Alyssa watched the water swirling at the bottom of the shower, before it disappeared down the drain. For a fleeting moment, she could sense Kaiba's disappointment at her refusal to shower properly in his presence, but the feeling evaporated as he reached forward and unclipped her bra. Just as quickly, he caught the sides of her panties and pulled them down her legs, making her squeak with surprise.

"I'll wait outside for you. Don't take too long." His nervous voice and quick kiss on her shoulder had Alyssa craving his touch as he walked outside. She quickly picked up the shampoo she loved using and washed her hair, needing to feel clean again. After spending a day in that small, dark, dirty room, she felt disgusting and silently appreciated Kaiba forcing her to shower.

* * *

He was sitting on the edge of her bed when she entered her room again, and smirked when he saw her wrapped in a fluffy towel. She disappeared into her closet for three minutes and returned wearing her red silk pajamas, the ones that were a size too big for her.

He held out his arms and she sat herself on his lap happily, focusing on him and listening to his sporadic thoughts. He was thinking of her in his arms one moment and her past life the next; the feel of her skin against his and when he could hear her thoughts.

He thought of seeing her in the shower and how his excitement grew; why he decided to leave her after all and waiting patiently on her bed. She giggled, her eyes closed as she listened, earning a whisper from Kaiba.

"What are you laughing at?" His rough voice soothed her and she felt herself becoming tired. She tried to answer him but she slurred with her exhaustion and he chuckled, picking her up and placing her in bed. "I'm just down the hall, should you need me. I'll see you tomorrow morning." He kissed her gently, smirking when she held him close for a second longer, before leaving and going to his own room.

Once in his own bed, he put his hands behind his head and lay, unmoving, thinking of the past month. Destroying all that Gozaburo had created, the institutions, weapons of mass destruction; finding Alyssa and teaching her, while beginning to love her; having her kidnapped by the very man he thought was long dead and bringing her home again; everything he had experienced was replayed in his memory and he smiled, happy that this had happened to him.

Although he was happy that he had found someone he cared for, his ego was also proud to have achieved something before Yugi Motou. He was certain that Yugi and Téa Gardner were no more than friends, probably both virgins and he found himself blushing slightly as he realised that he was no longer a virgin.


	39. Chapter 38

**A/N: going to try to update as often as possible. Let's see how far we get :D**

 **I own no rights to Microsoft or the Xbox 360 console. I have mentioned this console for entertainment purposes only.**

 **Any feedback for this story is greatly appreciated! Much love!**

* * *

Chapter 38: Playing Games

Kaiba's thoughts drifted as he lay in his bed, eventually receding into nothing as his mind prepared for sleep. He was seconds from dreaming when a scream pulled him from his calm state and he bolted upright, wide awake, with only one person on his mind; Alyssa.

He threw the duvet from his body and ran as fast as he could to her room, grateful that Mokuba was at a friend's house for the night. The door was pulled open and left open, as he dashed to the side of Alyssa's bed. The expression on her face was pure horror and as Kaiba tried to wake her, or calm her; his hand brushed her face.

The scene before him was strangely familiar, but with a more dangerous tension in the air. Victoria had the pistol pointed at him and his eyes were closed; once again he was watching through Alyssa's eyes. Her hand stretched out in front of her as Victoria pulled the trigger, but nothing happened, as the bullet tore through Kaiba's chest with a splatter of blood.

He gasped and shuddered, gripping her shoulders and pulling her close. "Alyssa, wake up!" He whispered fiercely into her ear. She struggled and mumbled in her sleep; clearly, the relatively short scene Kaiba had witnessed had continued for her and she tried in vain to escape someone's grip. He shook her again and her aqua eyes opened with a flourish.

"Seto!" Her eyes widened and she shook, mouth agape as she stared at the CEO in front of her. Kaiba pulled her close again and embraced her, holding her together with his strong arms. She sighed and returned the hug, smelling his cologne and feeling better immediately.

"Are you alright?" As Kaiba made sure she was feeling better, he decided to slip into her bed and hold her closer. She mumbled something into his pajamas and he chuckled, bringing a hand to her chin and guiding her face to face him. "What was that?"

"I said I am now..." Alyssa's guilty smile and deep blush didn't go unnoticed by Kaiba, who smirked and stroked her face gently. "Imagine if I couldn't... You'd be dead now..." His hand stopped it's actions and his face pulled into a frown.

"What?" He didn't know that Alyssa had saved them both, so her sombre comment made little sense to him. Her eyebrows knitted together as she contempled how to explain what she did. Her face brightened as she remembered how she thought of it.

"Do you remember on 'The X-Men 2', when Charles Xavier stopped time and spoke to the president in his office?" Alyssa smiled as Kaiba's face became confused. "I did that. I froze time. I moved the bullet. I took the gun from Victoria and I saved you. I saved us."

Kaiba lay, unmoving, for what seemed like forever. Alyssa felt uncomfortable in his arms, as he stared at her without blinking. Eventually he cleared his throat and laughed, a hoarse but honest laugh.

"I was wondering how Victoria missed at such close range, and why she dropped her gun so quickly." Alyssa relaxed when he laughed, and giggled too. "Thank you for that, if I had known sooner, then I would have been more gratious."

"More gratious?" Alyssa frowned at Kaiba's amused face, before shrugging and closing her eyes. His lips touched hers for a second and she sighed. "I'm so tired..."

"Sleep. I'll mind you." His gentle words lulled Alyssa into a comforted sleep, and just holding her in his arms put the young CEO's mind at ease.

* * *

"So you did what?!"

Mokuba was ecstatic to hear what Alyssa had done the following morning. He stalked her around the mansion, hoping to see her do something similar in his presence. However, she ate normally, did some studying normally, (Although Mokuba was confused as to why she was studying - She didn't attend classes...) greeted Kaiba normally; everything she did that day was normal.

Kaiba retreated to his home office with his laptop and a hard-drive from KaibaCorp, full of all the extra work that some of his employees failed to successfully complete in his absence. He had fired quite a few people that day, snarling viciously at a group in the production line to 'Get your worthless presence off my property'. As he placed his laptop and hard-drive on the desk, he sighed and ran a hand through his already tousled hair. He had a feeling he would need to finish late tonight.

Alyssa, on the other hand, was sitting at the desk in her room. She had a copy book of notes in front of her and several others in a neat pile, the studying Mokuba had seen her doing earlier. She decided to start teaching herself different subjects, and right now, she had her french book open and a french website open on the laptop she borrowed from Kaiba. Chewing the top of her pencil, she copied down verbs into her book and repeated them aloud, listening to their pronunciation online.

Mokuba knocked on her door. "Alyssa, want to play?" As his voice permeated through the door, she looked up and smiled.

"Yes, okay." She stood quickly and closed her book, dropping her pencil and dashing out the door. Mokuba was waiting for her across the hall, a smile upon his lips.

"When you first came here, I tried showing you a video game. You had a nosebleed and got scared though, so I couldn't play with you as I hoped to. I wanted to show you how to play those games!" Alyssa merely nodded; remembering with embarrassment how she believed she would die just because she was bleeding a little.

Mokuba led her to his bedroom, adorned with various posters of various famous people and games, as far as the eye could see. Alyssa noted with amusement that Mokuba's room was quite different to hers and Kaiba's; Mokuba had a single, high bunk bed, with his desk and laptop beneath it. He had his television and consoles placed across his room and shelves lined with games. As she assessed his room, he plucked a game from a shelf and waved it like a flag.

"This is a super game! It's on the Xbox 360, and you basically play as a character in a fantasy world, becoming either a hero or an enemy." Alyssa held out her hand timidly and Mokuba gave her the game to look at. The cover art was somewhat dark, but Alyssa decided that she liked it.

"And I can choose my gender too?" She read the back of the game case as Mokuba placed the game into the console and nodded to her. "This looks like fun, I can't wait to play it!"

"Here, sit down!" Mokuba patted the carpet beside him and she sat cross-legged on the floor, picking up a controller for the Xbox and watching as the game began on the television.

Alyssa and Mokuba spent three hours playing the fantasy game, eating and drinking from Mokuba's small supply of junk food and soda that he kept in his mini-fridge. Alyssa decided that she wanted a mini-fridge of her own and made a mental note to ask Kaiba for one as soon as possible. She thoroughly enjoyed the game, but was forced to stop playing when her eyes began to hurt from staring at the screen for such a long period of time.

"Mokie, I can't play anymore, my eyes are hurting..." Her apologetic confession made Mokuba pout, but he nodded and changed the game mode to single-player.

Alyssa stood carefully and exited the room, her intention being to return to her own room to finish her personal studying. When she rounded the corner and saw Kaiba leaning against her door, she stopped in her tracks.

"Oh, Seto. I thought you were busy with Kaiba Corporation business..." Her innocent comment caused the CEO to smirk and shake his head.

"I decided to leave it, I have more pressing matters to attend to." He straightened himself and walked slowly toward her; Alyssa felt her heartbeat becoming more irregular as he did. Her face flushed red and Kaiba paused, amused by her embarrassment.

"Pressing matters? Like... What..?" Her voice drifted as Kaiba continued moving toward her and finally stopped in front of her, smirking down at her confused state. The smirk slowly faded into a gentle smile, as Kaiba brought a hand to her face and sighed contently.

"You, Ally." His words sent a tingle down her spine, a tingle she remembered from some few nights before. She shivered at the memory and almost failed to notice Kaiba's lips making contact with hers. She responded eagerly and couldn't help but anticipate what she thought might happen, should they continue.


	40. Chapter 39

**A/N: A bit of a warning for anyone who finds menstruation uncomfortable; this chapter aims to bring some normalcy into Alyssa's otherwise unusual life :')**

* * *

Chapter 39: Blood is very red

He suddenly growled and pushed her gently against the wall, his hands holding her wrists against the wallpaper. Before Alyssa could ask why he did so, he broke the kiss and brought his lips to her neck, distracting her yet again. Without her hands to hold onto his neck, she thought she might collapse where she stood; his assault on her throat had her legs shaking with arousal and she struggled against his strong hands.

"Not good at keeping your hands off, are you?" Kaiba chuckled, releasing her hands and allowing her to wrap them around his neck. His arms wound around her waist and he pulled her flush against his body, causing her to squeak. Her eyes suddenly darted toward Mokuba's room and she blinked, expecting the preteen to investigate the hallway in search of the source of the squeal.

"Seto... Mokuba-" She was unable to finish her sentence as Kaiba reconnected their mouths while opening her bedroom door and led Alyssa inside. Too distracted, she failed to notice the bed beneath her until she felt a strange feeling in her panties. She stopped responding to his kiss and frowned, unused to the unusual slimey feeling she was experiencing.

"What's wrong?" Kaiba's whisper found her ear and she looked down at herself with confusion.

"Something doesn't feel right... Excuse me a moment..." Alyssa carefully disentangled herself from his body and walked gingerly into her bathroom, closing and locking the door behind her. Gripping the waist band of her jeans, she pulled them down and proceeded to do the same with her light pink panties. When she did, she shrieked at what she saw and leaned against the bathroom door with fright.

Kaiba watched with worry as she walked into the en suite and frowned when he heard her lock the door. It wasn't until he heard her scared shriek that he decided to knock on the door and see if she was okay.

"Alyssa? What's wrong? Tell me, I might be able to help..." He heard a strange muffled sound from behind the door and straightened himself even more, pondering how he could unlock the door.

"They... They said it was a trickle..." The words were mumbled in a hushed tone of voice, causing Kaiba to worry even more. Before he could say another word, Alyssa spoke again."I think I'm okay... I'll be out in a moment..."

"Are you sure?" He was uncertain whether or not he should walk away, but Alyssa confirmed that she would indeed be alright. He sat on the end of the bed, watching the door intently and waiting for Alyssa to come back to him.

After composing herself, she found herself a new pair of panties and slowly took off her jeans. Stepping into the shower, she carefully wiped herself down and dried herself, feeling a little 'icky' after what had transpired. Putting on the new panties and carefully inserting a tampon, she washed her hands and walked back into her bedroom. Kaiba stood from the bed and approached her with his arms outstretched.

"Are you okay?" She smiled in reassurance and nodded at him.

"Yes, I am. Sorry, I needed to... Sort something out." Her perfect lips pouted in thought as she wondered if she should tell him or not. He watched as her facial expression changed from thoughtful to indifferent, before she moved to her closet and proceeded to change her clothes.

Kaiba's arms began to droop from their outstretched position. He wondered if he had hurt her in some way. "Ally? Did I hurt you?" Perhaps he had hurt her when he pushed her against the wall?

Alyssa frowned in her closet, and decided to face him properly. His question was met with confused aqua blue eyes and shaking of her brown hair.

"No, why?" Alyssa waited for Kaiba to reply, before realising what he meant. "No no! You didn't hurt me at all! I... Uhm..." She looked down at her feet. "It's a personal thing..."

"A personal thing?" His arms fell completely and he frowned with discontent. Alyssa suddenly felt a strange feeling permeating from him, and she immediately saddened. Was he really upset?

"It's... Uh.. I'm... Menstruating?" She looked down at her feet with embarrassment, never before having said the word aloud. Kaiba immediately straightened himself and sighed with irritation. Alyssa could feel it, and moved back into her closet, looking for something clean to wear.

"I'm sorry."

"You're what?" She turned around to see Kaiba in the doorway of the small room, arms crossed and a neutral expression on his face. He rolled his eyes when she questioned him and shifted his weight.

"Don't make me repeat myself. Do you need anything?" Although his initial statement was cold, his question was softer and Alyssa felt the ghost of a smile on her lips.

"No, I think I'm okay. Thank you..." She nodded and turned back to her clothes, choosing a big blue fluffy hoodie to wear over black jeans. "I'm sorry for irritating you, it wasn't my intention."

Kaiba frowned at her back, wondering what she was referring to. "You didn't irrititate me Ally, what made you think that?" He waited for her reply, watching as she slid the hoodie on over her arms first and then her head. She pulled her hair free of the garment as she replied.

"I could feel your agitation when I moved away from you." Her eyes met his evenly and he chuckled at her. She frowned slightly, unsure of his reaction.

"I'm assuming you're paying my thoughts no attention today?" His query was answered when she nodded in agreement and he nearly laughed aloud. "If you were listening in, you'd know why I'm irritated." She tilted her head to the side and allowed his thoughts to surround her. She suddenly blushed and looked away from him, all too aware of his muscular figure.

"You're irritated because you're aroused? You could have said something instead of letting me think of such a thing!" Though she feigned upset, Kaiba could tell that she wasn't truly offended and he smirked at her.

"I like seeing you blush though. Call me if you need anything." And with that, he was gone. Alyssa stared after him for a full twenty minutes following his departure, wondering if anyone else had seen this side of Seto Kaiba. Her thoughts were suddenly of Sayoko and she wondered if even she had been as cherished as she was.

* * *

Alyssa hadn't known what cramps were before she began menstruating. She knew that matron would often complain about how uncomfortable they could be for her, but she never in a million years imagined them to be this painful. She was curled up on her bed, fingers wrapped tightly around her sides, as she willed her uterus to stop clenching.

She hadn't left her room since the conversation with Kaiba, and that was hours ago. She didn't know how long she had been lying down for and simply wished that she could sleep off the pain.

"Ugh, this is horrible..." She muttered to herself. What had she read about cramps before? She groggily sat up and found the laptop Kaiba had given her, searching 'cramp solutions' and finding a short list of remedies. Some of them seemed ridiculous, but at this point, she was willing to try anything.

The first on the list was eating chocolate. Alyssa giggled with a snort and made her way into the kitchen, finding a big bar of chocolate and bringing it upstairs to her room. She sat crossed-legged on the bed in front of the laptop and nibbled on a corner of the delicious treat. She realised that it wasn't as helpful as she wanted after ten minutes or so, and returned to the list.

The second most helpful tip was exercise. She frowned, but continued reading, finding that swimming was especially relaxing. Looking at the snow just outside her window, she decided against swimming in the freezing pool and chose to try jogging instead. She stretched a little in her room, before she opened her bedroom door and started to jog around the house. As she jogged past Kaiba's office, she failed to notice him sitting at his desk as he stared after her in amazement. He stood and waited in the doorway, waiting for when she passed his office again.

"What are you doing?" She jumped with surprise and let out a squeal, before laughing at herself and straightening herself.

"I'm exercising." He raised an eyebrow and smirked.

"Why?" She shook her head.

"Womanly problems."


	41. Chapter 40

**A/N: I don't even know what I've written in this chapter...**

 **Tell me how it goes! Much love! 3**

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Chapter 40: And cramps are very painful

Kaiba nodded in understanding and moved back towards his desk. Alyssa nodded quickly before continuing on. She jogged all around the house and back into her room, throwing herself onto the bed and panting like a dog.

She moaned loudly with discomfort as the cramps in her lower stomach continued to cripple her, and she looked back at the list online. A hot water bottle? What on earth was that? She read down through the article and found that using a rubber bottle full of warm water helped soothe sore muscles.

"I wonder if Anna has one?" She stood and made her way downstairs into the kitchen once again, finding Anna in the pantry amidst shelves of food. She was trying to pry a bag of flour from a high shelf and Alyssa hoped she wouldn't get hurt. "Anna, do we have any water bottles?"

Anna looked toward her and nodded toward a shelf of bottled water behind her. "Right there, Miss Alyssa."

Alyssa looked and frowned, sure that these were not what she was looking for. "Um, I meant a hot water bottle? It's supposed to be made of rubber?"

Anna stopped her attempt to retrieve the flour and faced Alyssa fully. "A hot water bottle? I'm sure we do, hang on, I'll ask the chef." With a wink and a smile, Anna walked out of the pantry to find the cook and Alyssa followed, waiting in the kitchen for her return. She felt Kaiba approaching and giggled nervously, as he and Anna entered the kitchen from two different doors simultaneously.

"Miss Alyssa, I found one!" Anna informed you excitedly, before noting Kaiba's presence. "Mister Kaiba sir, did you need something?" She handed the bottle to Alyssa who stared at it with wonder, and bowed to Kaiba with respect.

"Coffee." Was the only word from Kaiba's mouth, as he watched Ayssa's face contort with pain. Her hand rested on her lower stomach once again, as she strained to ask Anna for help with the bottle.

Anna took it from her and held it under the hot faucet as it slowly filled with warm water. "There's a fresh pot of coffee, I can get some for you in just a tick." Anna motioned with her head toward the coffee pot and Kaiba took a mug from the cupboard in front of him.

"I can get it." He poured the coffee carefully, watching Alyssa in his peripheral vision. She was clearly uncomfortable and this made him angry. He didn't want her to be in pain. "Have you taken anything?" he asked.

Alyssa turned toward him and tilted her head with confusion. "Taken what? I haven't stolen anything, if that's what you mean."

Kaiba chuckled and shook his head, a rare sight for Anna to see. "I meant painkillers. Medication that lessen pain." He took a sip of the coffee and nodded his approval, before looking back at Alyssa. She frowned at the news and queried him.

"There is something I can take to make the cramps less bad?" He nodded and smirked, noting how she seemed to brighten at the news. "Where is it?" He took a box from his pocket and gave it to her.

"Only take one or two at most. And don't chew them." Kaiba disappeared into his office as soon as he warned her and she looked down at the box. Taking two of the small white tablets from inside, she swallowed them down with a glass of water and took the bottle from Anna graciously, making the short journey back to her bedroom. She settled down to rest and curled into a tight ball, waiting for the painkillers to take effect.

She was asleep after fourteen minutes.

* * *

"Alyssa... Wake up! Come on! You'll miss dinner!"

She was rudely awoken by Mokuba about two hours later, who was poking her in the back excitedly. She brushed him away and mumbled an acknowledgement into her pillow, before rubbing her eyes tiredly. Mokuba ran out if the room and she followed at a much slower pace, reaching the dining room about two minutes after he did.

"Good evening Alyssa. I trust you are feeling better?" Kaiba's deep voice made Alyssa blush and she nodded.

"Yes, a little, thank you..." Kaiba nodded in reply and nothing more was said until Anna approached them with their food.

"Miss Alyssa, if I may... Reading helps me to relax during stressful times..." She placed her plate in front of Alyssa and whispered to her, before giving the brothers their food and leaving. Alyssa stared at her food sulkily, no longer feeling very hungry and having a strong desire to curl up again.

"So Alyssa, do you want some books? I have loads about zombies and apocalypses!" Mokuba offered, making Kaiba scowl. Alyssa shook her head gently, politely declining his offer.

"I think I might look for stories online, but thank you Mokuba." Alyssa smiled at him cutely, before picking up her fork and making a start on her lasagna. Kaiba chuckled at the other end of the table and both Mokuba and Alyssa looked up at him.

"What's so funny Seto?" Mokuba frowned with confusion, as he watched his older brother shake his head in amusement.

"Ally, be careful what you search for..." Was his only reply, as he continued to eat his food. Alyssa frowned and picked at her plate, deciding that she didn't even want to try to eat anything. She remained at the table for the duration of the meal, eating small amounts of her meal as she listened to the brothers conversing. When Mokuba moved and declared that he was finished, Alyssa stood also and said that she too, was finished.

"Are you okay? You're really not acting like yourself..." Kaiba's voice held concern as he sold from the table and Alyssa sighed.

"No, I'm not really. I don't enjoy having cramps..." She looked toward the livingroom and she cringed at the idea of ruining the light grey sofa. "I want to relax, but I can't..." Kaiba was at her side almost immediately and his hand rubbed her arm lightly.

"Would you like if I were to help you relax?" His offer was very appealing and Alyssa smiled gently.

"I'd love that Seto. But I don't think you'd relax me, rather you'd..." She trailed off, not wanting to voice her thoughts. Kaiba chuckled and guided her gently toward the sofa she had been eyeing before he spoke to her, settling himself and then coaxing Alyssa to sit beside him.

"I don't bite Ally." He smirked at her reluctance, attempting to persuade her to sit down. She blushed and looked down, before sitting gently on the edge of the sofa. He caught onto her and pulled her toward him, resting her head on his lap and allowing her to stretch across the loveseat.

"I shouldn't put my feet on the-"

"Relax Alyssa." His hand rested on her head and soothed her hair, the other rubbing small circles on her stomach. Alyssa closed her eyes and hummed, making herself more comfortable as she relaxed.

Kaiba watched over her as she relaxed into his arms. "How do you know who to relax someone like this?" He barely heard her muted whisper and he smiled while remembering his mother fondly. Alyssa could see and feel everything he remembered and she immediately felt guilty. "I didn't mean to bring up such a sensitive topic..."

"Its alright. I suppose I don't mind telling you about my mother..." Kaiba paused and looked toward the window. "She used to hold me like this when I was a child. If I had a particularly bad day at school, she would console me." He chuckled and looked back down at the quiet form on his legs. "She didn't soothe my stomach though, I looked that up online."

"What happened to her?" Alyssa held her breath as Kaiba frowned at the memory.

"When she was pregnant with Mokuba, she became very sick. On the day Mokuba was born my father brought her into hospital, and three days later my father returned home with Mokuba, but not her." Alyssa shuffled on his lap, turning her body so that she faced him. Kaiba raised his hands as she moved, and replaced them as soon as she stopped turning.

"But that's horrible..." Her whispered voice was laced with sorrow and Kaiba smirked down at her.

"Mokuba looks exactly the same as her. Except for her eyes, I got those." Alyssa frowned and looked down at herself.

"I wonder who I most look like..."


	42. Chapter 41

**A/N: This is my last pre-typed chapter for this story, and work is really busy at the moment, so it may be a while before I can update again :'L**

 **Many apologies in advance!**

 **Much love! Read, enjoy and drop a review!**

* * *

Chapter 41: Train Station

It was some few days later that she decided to step outside the mansion. Kaiba was still working from home, but Alyssa had found her way around the mansion and knew another route from her bedroom to the front hall, without passing the office door. She wrapped up warm and opened the door, stepping out alone for the first time.

She reassured Roland, who was standing by the gate, that she was quite alright by herself and walked to the shop that Kaiba brought her to almost a month before, stopping inside to ask the shopkeeper where Domino Station was.

"It's a ways down the street there, keep walking and you'll see the building. It's big and monument-like." The elderly woman smiled a warm smile at Alyssa and she bowed politely, taking some money from her pocket.

"Thank you." The shopkeeper shook her head and refused to take any money from Alyssa.

"Keep it. You may need it yourself." Alyssa frowned with confusion, but nodded with gratitude, before stepping out in the dimming light of the Saturday afternoon. She guessed it was a little after four; the light from the sun was quickly fading and she had hoped to reach the station before Kaiba learned of her absence.

Snow began to fall once again, and Alyssa giggled softly as the flakes landed on her face. She pulled her scarf tighter around her neck and rubbed her gloved hands together, then pulled her hat down over her ears. The street on which she walked was well-lit, and she feared no-one as she walked alone. Various stalls were open on either side of her, with the owners calling out to passersby about their wares. She stopped and bought a cup of hot chocolate from one stall, and continued on her way.

The station was a large building, as the shopkeep had said, brightly lit with colourful lights and as noisy as Domino Square. Alyssa moved slowly through the crowds of people toward the locker area, and was surprised to find all the combination lockers had been replaced with traditional key locks. She sighed.

"On top of having to find the right locker, I now have to find a key? Godammit!" Some passengers nearby turned and raised their eyebrows at her, having heard her quiet outburst. She blushed and looked around the lockers, thinking desperately of what number Takahashi thought was important.

Most of the lockers were unlocked, their doors slightly ajar and their keys in their locks. She wandered around the locker area with interest, ignorant to the person following her. She stopped opposite the locker numbered as thirteen, and stared at the locked door. A hand on her arm shocked her system, but to her relief she found it was Kaiba.

"What are you doing?" His stern but hushed voice was unusually angry and Alyssa recoiled from him slightly.

"Ryuuka left a letter for me here. I came here to find it..." Kaiba pinched his nose with his forefinger and thumb, before sighing angrily.

"You can't just leave the mansion like that. It's a good thing Roland was worried for you, otherwise I may not have known of your disappearance until later on..." He frowned at her, waiting for an answer. She stared back at him, confused as to why he was concerned for her.

"I'm safe now, Victoria and Gozaburo are in prison." Her innocent voice was difficult to hear in the busy station, but her thoughts reached Kaiba and informed him of her feelings. _'I don't see why you're so upset, Ryuuka wants me to find this letter_.'

He was shocked by how easily she communicated with him using her thoughts. She would usually communicate by mistake, and be ashamed of herself afterwards. He raised both eyebrows, and attempted to communicate with her.

' _There are worse people in the world than Gozaburo and Victoria._ ' He thought. She frowned and cocked her head to the side, confused. Kaiba took a deep breath and looked down at his feet, unable to look her in the eye and think of the worst kinds of people simultaneously.

Alyssa was horrified to have her mind full of disgusting people, people who could do so much harm to others and only care about themselves. For a brief second, Gozaburo hitting a young Seto entered her mind and she squeezed her eyes shut, clearly distressed. Kaiba looked up from the ground and watched her.

"Stop..." She whispered, immediately eliciting guilt from Kaiba. He moved to her and held her close, stroking her hair and resting his head on hers.

"You can't leave the mansion by yourself." She nodded against his chest and he sighed. "Now, let's find the letter."

She moved from him and wiped her face, sniffling and looking toward the locker beside her. "I think... It's in there."

Kaiba looked toward the locked door and pondered the idea of finding a locksmith. Before he could take his phone from his pocket, Alyssa placed her hand on he door beside the lock and closed her eyes. Kaiba heard the 'click' as the lock was opened and the door swung wide.

"How did you..?" He was lost for words. Alyssa opened her eyes and took the letter from the locker, looking back to Kaiba and smiling gently.

"I don't really know, but I figure opening locks will make things easier for me." She looked down at the envelope and carefully opened it, as Kaiba watched with amazement.

' _Dear Alyssa,_

 _I have done some some terrible things in my lifetime, but nothing quite as bad as this. Words cannot express how sorry I am to have subjected you to such horrible torture. You may not remember all of the terrible things that we have done to you, but I remember, and that makes me all the more guilty._

 _I want you to know that although I didn't initially adopt you out of love, I have grown to love you as my own daughter. I have since stopped the administration of experimental narcotics and have only given Mister Kaiba permission to administer beneficial drugs to your body._

 _I hope you do not hate me for my involvement. And I hope that you know despite what may happen..._

 _I will always be with you._

 _Ryuuka Takahashi'_

She stared at the paper, trying in vain to focus on Ryuuka Takahashi's face. And to her surprise, she couldn't.

"I barely remember him..." She mumbled, making Kaiba frown. "But thank you Ryuuka, for being with me. Then and always." She turned to face Kaiba and smiled. "I think it was him. He stopped Doctor Wasaki." Kaiba raised an eyebrow and waited for her to continue, but she didn't. "Let's go home."

Kaiba nodded and they walked outside, where the limousine and a smaller car were waiting. Roland sat in the smaller car, visibly relieved to see that Alyssa was safe. She stopped walking for a moment, and had to be pulled along by Kaiba to the limousine.

* * *

Roland followed behind the limousine in his small car for the ten minute drive home. Kaiba watched with confusion as Alyssa knelt on the seats and stared out the rear window at Roland the entire time, and when they finally stopped outside the mansion, she had opened the door before the limousine had stopped moving.

Kaiba followed her quickly over to Roland's car, where he heard her somewhat offended queries toward his first-hand man. She addressed him hotly as he stood out from the car, closing the door behind him.

"Did you follow me?" Her accusation was met with a raised eyebrow, as Roland looked her over and nodded mutely.

"Is that a problem Miss Alyssa?" His question annoyed her all the more and she closed her eyes, squeezing them together tightly.

"Why did you follow me, Roland?" When she finally spoke again, her voice was much softer and Roland looked down at the tarmac beneath their feet.

"Because Mister Kaiba cares for you. And nobody wants any harm to come to you."


	43. Chapter 42

**A/N: I'm not sure when the last time I updated was, but I got a review for Chapter Three, _Three_ , asking me to continue updating. I'm not sure if it was just the chapter that this reader had been on, or if they had only just started reading the story, but I felt obliged to continue regardless :D **

**These next few chapters are all completely new. The first forty-something had been conceived and typed ahead of time, but these next few are all from scratch. That isn't to say that it won't make sense, or I won't finish it properly - Because I won't let either happen ;)**

 **As always, many apologies in the delay in updates. If you have the time, I love any and all feedback I receive for this story. Read, enjoy and drop a review. Much love! x**

* * *

Chapter 42: Guilt

Alyssa felt guilty for leaving the mansion alone, especially when she realised how worried Kaiba and the rest of the staff at the house were for her. But when Roland explained that he had decided to follow her in order to keep her safe without being _ordered_ to, she found herself wondering why she was suddenly so much more precious than even Mokuba.

She was sitting on the floor of the living room, brushing white paint onto a foamy sea on her canvas. Anna and the chef were elsewhere in the mansion, and Roland was outside in the front hall, talking with Kaiba. Although she could hear them both quite clearly, she was paying them scant attention as she focused on her painting. It wasn't until she heard Kaiba say "This looks bad for the company…" that she dared to ask what they were discussing.

She stood carefully, being mindful not to knock down the cup of water she had been using, and walked the few feet over to the doorway. Waiting a moment before she spoke, Alyssa took in both Kaiba's and Roland's stiff postures and decided that the situation at hand was potentially dangerous. Roland had his back turned to her, and Kaiba was half-facing the doorway. Neither moved as she approached the door.

"Seto, what is it?" Her gentle voice found his ears and he immediately looked in her direction. Roland raised an eyebrow and glanced at her from the corner of his eye, but his focus was mainly on Kaiba.

"There's a bit of a problem… With Wasaki…" He trailed off, turning away from her and shoving his hands into his pockets. "He's starting a news war with local newspapers, trying to make money off your story."

Alyssa frowned with confusion. "What do you mean _my story_? I don't have a story..?" Roland turned around to face her and handed her a newspaper, a picture of her tired face on the cover and a headline reading 'Kaiba's Psychic Wonder!' in white lettering beneath. Her mouth opened in horror and her hands began to shake, as she opened the paper to the appropriate page and began to read;

"Seto Kaiba has done it again! Already having sold thousands upon thousands of games and consoles across the world, the popular C.E.O. of Kaiba Corporation has put all his hard work and efforts into a new creation!

"Sixteen year old Alyssa Takahashi has been genetically modified by Kaiba Corporation, through years of training and research, to bring you the world's greatest telepathic beauty!

"Doctor Wasaki, who used to work with the Kaiba family, has confirmed this, and apparently has proof of this girl."

She stared at the page in disbelief, her eyes brimming over with tears.

"You promised me nothing bad would happen. They're going to take me away from you and Mokuba and put me through tests and hurt me and I can't go through that all again…"

Kaiba sighed and moved to her, wrapping his arms around her tightly and holding her close. "Roland, we'll continue this later."

"Yes sir." Roland left the hall, heading into the kitchen, as Kaiba continued to hold the sobbing girl. Her tears soaked through his dress shirt, leaving a large circular wet stain on his chest. He rubbed her hair, trying to soothe her, and her crying eventually calmed down.

"I'm so sorry Ally, I never meant for this to happen…" He murmured into her hair, his hands still stroking her brown locks and rubbing her back in small circles. "But I promise, they won't take you away. I won't let them."

Now it was Kaiba's turn to feel guilty for something. He needed to find Wasaki and stop him from taking this crazy story too far. There needed to be a reason; an excuse; anything that would stop this from getting out of hand. A mumbled suggestion from Alyssa's mouth suddenly brought light into his darkening world, and Kaiba found himself delighted with her amazing mind.

"What if you pretend that I'm a model for a new game? A psychic game?"

He stared at her head for a split second before exclaiming loudly: "Alyssa, you're a genius!"

She jumped with surprise and stood back from him, staring at him as he brainstormed an idea right in front of her.

"We need to start up a server online… Programme it… Take your image and use it… Release a public statement… And this needs to start soon…" He began pacing across the hall, hand on his chin, as he thought through the idea of creating a new game. Alyssa watched silently as he did so, paying close attention to his thoughts and smiling slightly. "Alyssa, I need to start this. I'll be at Kaiba Corporation if you need me." He moved toward the coat hooks in the front hall, meaning to grab his coat and leave straight away.

"Can I come and watch?" Her question caught Kaiba off-guard and he paused in getting his trench coat, looking over toward her. He appraised her calmly for a moment, and then raised an eyebrow.

"You might find it boring."

It wasn't that he didn't want her to go; he was genuinely worried that the job at hand would bore her. She could sense his uncertainty and she smiled, assuring him that it all seemed very interesting. He then realised that she must have been paying attention to his thoughts as he thought over her idea, and he smirked at her eagerness.

"Well of course you can join me. I'll need to scan your face into the server anyway, so it's just as well that you'll be there."

She almost giggled in excitement, and nodded toward Kaiba, who had turned back around once again to retrieve his coat. After putting it on rather quickly, he waited for Alyssa to put her painting things on the coffee table in the living room and find her own coat, before leading her outside to one of his personal cars.

It was late in the evening and bitterly cold, so poor Alyssa clung to Kaiba's arm for the short walk to his garage. He smirked at her thin figure; he enjoyed it when she clung to him like that, particularly in public. Once seated within the car, Kaiba began to go over everything that he would need to do in order to make this idea work.

Kaiba Corporation was empty when they arrived. When Alyssa was last there, the place was brimming with people. The empty halls and empty offices unnerved her, as she realised that they weren't moving toward Kaiba's office.

"Seto, where are we going?" She held his hand diligently as he led her through the building on the ground floor, when his office was several floors higher. He shoved another key into another lock as he replied.

"Programming."

As she contemplated his answer, he pulled her gently into a room full of computers. Finding the nearest one and sitting her down, he sat beside her and began typing furiously.

She watched as he typed numbers and letters in various sequences on the screen. None of it made any sense to her, but Alyssa watched silently for the six minutes it took for Kaiba to finish typing. When he finished, he clicked a box on the screen which was labelled as 'done' and she was amazed to see a rough outline of a human face appear on the screen.

"You'll need to pose in front of a camera a couple of times when my development team are in the building tomorrow." Kaiba's contemplative voice earned him her attention, and she stared at his face as he frowned in thought. "You'll have to read a script also, so we can capture your voice and enable you to reply to customers online."

"I wasn't being anyway serious when I suggested this Seto…." Alyssa was beginning to feel like this was a lot of hard work and the last thing she needed was to be an inconvenience to Kaiba and his personal life. Kaiba refrained from snapping at her in irritation and remained silent instead, resuming his typing into the programming bar.

Alyssa didn't know what to make of his silence and remained confused in her seat. She decided that it was worth her time being here with him, as she figured the Kaiba Corporation building was lonely at night.


	44. Chapter 43

**A/N: I thought I had updated this last week, but realised today that I had only edited the document in the document viewer and left it to stew . I'm so so sorry :L To make up for this, I have posted last week's chapter (Still edited from last week) and this week's chapter together, hopefully they're good chapters and anyone following this story will forgive me :)**

 **Read and enjoy! Much Love! x**

* * *

Chapter 43: From Bad to Worse

Alyssa fell asleep in comfort snuggled close to Kaiba that night. He had brought the exhausted girl home after another two hours of typing away on the computer in the Kaiba Lab, and after offering to help her into his own bed, he was smug when she barely whispered her desire to stay with him in his bed.

Kaiba suffered from many sleepless nights in his life, having only recently been able to get a good night's sleep with Alyssa's body curled against his own. He lay on his bed, decidedly not the best position to fall asleep in, as he cradled Alyssa's head on his abdomen and rested a hand in her soft brown hair.

He was still confused by his feelings toward her. He had never felt the need for a significant other before her arrival, unless of course, you included Sayoko Mizuki.

Sayoko seemed to be interested in who he was as a person, not as a figure of wealth and fortune as many other women seemed to view him. She arranged meetings with him; arranged to see him outside of work and asked what he and Mokuba had done for the weekend; bought him a photo album and found photos of their outings together for his last birthday; everything she had said and done seemed to be genuine.

That memory stung as he recalled the album. He closed his eyes wearily, a brief flash of flames engulfing the dark blue book with the gold lettering reading ' _Our Memories'_ peeling with the heat, gracing his vision for a split second. He sighed and Alyssa moved slightly, readjusting herself on his chest.

Sayoko was a gifted actress, and even tried to lie her way out of admitting her schemes when Kaiba was contacted by his personal accountant.

It was more out of concern than anything else, when Kaiba asked her why she had been paying large amounts of money into the hospital. Her credit card sales were recorded each time she used the card, and the accountant had become worried for her health having seen where the money was going.

He sighed again, more irritated this time, having realised his idiocy at his actions in dealing with her. He agreed with himself that 'dumping' her was the appropriate thing to do, but inviting her over for the interrogation with Alyssa was a terrible idea. Kaiba made to sigh again, when he noticed that Alyssa was no longer asleep.

"What's wrong?" His voice sounded all too loud in the quiet room. It was only a few hours before dawn broke and he hated to whisper, so his voice was more of a low growl. Alyssa said nothing as she stood out from the bed, and away from Kaiba. Before he could repeat his question, she replied with an answer that made his blood run cold.

"I can't sleep with you if you're thinking of Sayoko."

"I wasn't thinking anything in particular, my thoughts were fleeting." His reply was a knee-jerk reaction and he immediately regretted saying it. He sat up in the bed, watching over her thin body carefully. She wore nothing more than her panties and one of his shirts as she stood there, one of the long arms of the shirt covering her hand as the other was brought up to rest on her chest.

She stood angled toward Kaiba, but facing the door. She was contemplating leaving; Kaiba didn't have to be a psychic to see that.

"Seto, if you want to talk to Sayoko again then I understand. But you must understand that it's very difficult for me to think straight if you keep thinking about her while you're with me."

His mouth opened to reply but then closed again. Whatever snappy comment that had tried to leave his lips had been successfully stopped and he looked away from her, feeling foolish.

"I thought of her, because I realised that I feel differently toward you than I did toward her…" This gave her pause. She wasn't expecting this. "When I was seeing Sayoko, it felt more like… An obligation. That I _should_ be seeing her. Whereas with you…" And he stopped, not quite wanting to sound like he was objectifying her, but this was the only way he could explain it to her.

Alyssa mistook his pause for negativity and crossed her arms, irritated with what she expected him to say. She somehow managed to convince herself that his confused thoughts were an attempt to deter her from feeling what he really meant to say, and she prepared an answer for this train of thought.

"I chose you."

Had she known the Pokémon Anime series, she might have made a joke about his choice of wording. But she didn't. Hence, a heavy silence fell between them, with Kaiba wondering about his sanity and Alyssa in shock that he would say such a thing.

"Look, if you want to go back to your own bed, that's fine. I get it. I shouldn't have been thinking about her, but it wasn't in the way that you think". And Kaiba lay back down, turning his back toward her and breathing in deeply. He felt as though he were on the verge of a panic attack, something that hadn't happened to him in years, as he waited for Alyssa to leave.

Her small weight still managed to cause the bed to dip slightly as she climbed in behind him, causing Kaiba to question his sanity once again. He turned around to face her, but noted that her eyes were already closed. His arms cautiously wrapped around her and she smiled, curling up closer to him and falling asleep once more.

Kaiba was suddenly very aware that she was asleep, as he found himself watching her dream through her eyes. It was a little unnerving seeing himself smirking down like that, but Alyssa was ecstatic as he began to kiss her neck.

He moved backwards on the bed a little, breaking their contact and watching Alyssa's face smile slightly, even in sleep.

He would have to ask her about her dreaming habits in the morning.

* * *

The following morning, Kaiba and Alyssa were back in Kaiba Corporation. This time, the building was full of people and Alyssa had to grip Kaiba's hand to ensure she wouldn't get lost in the crowds of people moving throughout the building. Kaiba maneuvered around the crowds of people to an elevator that had a sign reading 'Off Limits', the same elevator they had used the first time she had been there. He escorted her inside and pressed the only button on the panel and they made it to the top floor in seconds.

Kaiba had sat down at his desk immediately and typed a quick message for his staff down in programming and development. Alyssa had taken a seat on one of the comfortable sofas and was reading over a rough script that he had hastily typed. He also told her to write down anything else that she thought the online psychic girl would say to people.

A little before lunch time, Roland approached the office and admitted, with reluctance, that he had both bad news and good news.

"What's the 'good' news?" Alyssa demanded before Kaiba had a chance to speak. He nodded at Roland when he sent a curious look his way and he sighed, before explaining that they had finally found Mike.

"As soon as he's able to work again, bring him here." Kaiba ordered. Roland nodded and then took a rolled up newspaper from his back pocket.

"And sir, this is going to hit a sore spot, but…" And having flung the paper onto the desk, Roland fled the office, amusing Kaiba and worrying Alyssa.

"This is going to be a very odd week…" Kaiba rubbed his temples as he said this, watching as Alyssa moved toward the desk from where she had been reading her new script on one of the sofas in the corner. Kaiba picked up the paper and dropped it down almost immediately, his hands grabbing his head with aggravation.

Alyssa turned the paper around toward her and read the headline; "'I Spoke with the Psychic Child' by Sayoko Mizuki."


	45. Chapter 44

**A/N: A warning to those offended by the use of curse words in this chapter. It's a little longer than the others, not by much, but still enough to make an impact I think.**

 **First world problems here.**

* * *

Chapter 44: Mistakes

Kaiba gripped his hair and refrained from pulling, but just barely. "Shit…" His use of profanities shocked Alyssa, as she watched this seemingly well-composed young man slowly come undone. His voice, though at first was barely more than a whisper, was slowly raising in volume. "Shit. Fuck. For fuck's sake… Dammit!"

"Seto…" Alyssa whispered at his diminishing composure, her hands clasped at her chest. He stood from the desk hastily and paced around in anger for a while, grinding his teeth and cursing himself for being an idiot.

"I knew it was a bad idea… And all because I needed to know…." His mumbling stopped and in that moment, Alyssa had never been more terrified in her life. He turned to her slowly, his cobalt eyes devoid of any emotion she could recognise and voice addressed her in a cool, dismissive tone. "Leave. Please."

She didn't need to be told twice. Alyssa whirled around and fled the room, much like how Roland had done some few minutes before her. The secretary must have been aware of Kaiba's mood, and after calling the limousine to come collect her, she took the phone off the hook.

Alyssa sat alone and terrified into the limousine, her legs balancing delicately on the posh leather interior that she wasn't quite used to. She was home in less than ten minutes, and the security at the gate led her into the mansion safely. Once inside the front foyer, she fell to her knees and began to cry.

It was all because of her.

* * *

Meanwhile, back at Kaiba Corporation, Kaiba had watched Alyssa leaving with relief before spinning on his heel and kicking his chair as hard as he could across the room. The sudden noise it made against the wall was like a gunshot, and somewhere in Kaiba's mind, he wondered if the secretary had heard it.

Not that he cared.

This wasn't the first time he had lost his temper at work, and it certainly wouldn't be the last. But having Alyssa in his office _with_ him while he kicked and punched random objects appealed to him as much as an acid shower.

Grabbing the paper again, he found the article and found that a lot of what Sayoko had said was that this young girl had been sat in front of her at a dining table, and seemed to know much about her family life. The last line was that she had originally planned to sue Kaiba for the invasion of privacy, but after all other attempts to contact him seemed fruitless, she found Doctor Wasaki's story in yesterday's paper and decided to add her story to the media.

He ripped it to pieces. The paper would have been better off in a paper shredder. The small particles that littered the floor were all that remained of the disgusting paper and Kaiba tried to breathe slowly, realising that he was still angry to the point of destruction.

"Tried to contact me. She didn't fucking try, the lying bitch." The wastepaper bin beside his desk was kicked into the air and landed somewhere behind him. And somewhere in all this madness, his laptop made a sound to indicate a received email. An email to say that the amount of bugs in the program for the new animation was too great and not even a demonstration version could be released for at least a week.

He wanted to scream. To yell. To cry. Why on earth did he do such a thing? Was Sayoko that important at one time in his life that he really _had_ to know whether or not she felt genuinely toward him? Was the fact that Alyssa was undoubtedly special to him and had abilities far beyond anyone he had ever known in his life had driven the curious side of his mind to do something that irrational?

He didn't' know. Despite his intelligence and IQ, he couldn't decipher it.

This was why Seto Kaiba avoided relationships.

* * *

She was terrified that she had misinterpreted his words. Did he mean leave the office? Kaiba Corp.? The mansion? His life? The latter made more sense to her, given the situation, but it broke her heart in so many places that she was amazed she could even stand.

Not that she was standing.

It was well past midnight, more than twelve hours since Kaiba had lost his temper and told her to leave. Alyssa was curled up into a tight ball in her bed, not Kaiba's bed, and she was trembling. She couldn't sleep without knowing if he was home or not. Mokuba had warned her that Kaiba pulled all-nighters all the time and even slept on the sofas in his office if he had important work to sort out. So there was a ninety percent chance that he wouldn't come home tonight. But Alyssa didn't want that.

She held her breath as she heard him walking down the hall wearily. His room was mere meters away from hers, so she heard the exact moment her opened his door and walked inside, closing it calmly behind him.

Her breath left her slowly as she relaxed, knowing he was home. That was good, even if it was the early hours of the following morning, rather than late at night. She closed her eyes and prepared for sleep, unprepared for his door swinging open with a loud 'bang' against the wall.

She bolted upright in her bed at the noise, in time for when Kaiba opened her door with a horrifying expression on his face.

Fear.

He relaxed when he saw her terrified figure holding the duvet up to her chin with terror, sighing as he dropped his gaze to the floor.

"I thought you'd left me. When you weren't in my room..." And he stopped. She looked down at her bed guiltily, wondering why he would even want to see her after all that had transpired. When she looked up toward him again, her eyes had adapted enough to the dim light from the hallway for her to see his reddened knuckles.

"What happened to your hand?" His hand moved hastily from the door knob into the pocket of his dress pants, and he attempted to brush off her concern.

"Nothing." And with that said, he stood outside and closed the door.

She stared at the door for a moment, wishing for him to come back inside. He didn't.

" _I feel the need to extend an apology to those who have been fooled by those who have claimed that I have a psychic young lady living in my home. What they have seen is a holographic design that we at Kaiba Corporation have slaved over for weeks. I must address each of the claims and those who have made them separately._

" _Miss Mizuki is a former acquaintance of mine, who was invited to dinner and subsequently offended by the hologram. It was my intention to test the hologram with someone I used be close with, but it was never my intention to offend her._

" _Doctor Wasaki is confirmed to have taken blood samples from a young girl and modified these samples in order to create this surreal idea of a real young woman with telepathic tendencies. I do not see how this is humanely possible, but I can assure you, I do not have such a lady living in my home. Again, my hologram was programmed to activate both inside and outside of Kaiba Corporation and my personal home, so my intention was to test the quality of the hologram outside of its comfort zone._

" _The technology is not unlike the holographic technology that we have put into our Duel Monsters arenas across the country, despite the fact this new holographic creature is a kind of artificial intelligence…"_

Kaiba's announcement was well met by the press and other reporters looking for answers, in relation to the problems that Kaiba Corporation and Kaiba himself had encountered since the allegations began. Alyssa was watching his perfect speech from the comfort of her bedroom, the laptop open on the end of her bed as she snuggled into her duvet.

They still hadn't spoken properly since that day. She was certain that he wanted her gone for good, but she had nowhere else to go.

However, her opinion was somewhat quashed when Kaiba burst into her room in a panic that night, clearly upset by the fact that she wasn't in his bed. She was both intrigued and confused by his actions. Was that a good sign?


	46. Chapter 45

**A/N: So this is a relatively short chapter, but I was hoping to rein in Kaiba's OOCness a little and explore how both Alyssa and Kaiba are feeling at this point. Also, I'll be gone for about a week for a holiday. So no more updates for a while. I'll update again as soon as I can; I might even try to post one last update before I leave.**

 **I hope the story is still engaging! And again, I want to thank everyone who has supported the story thus far, you're all amazing c: Much love! x**

* * *

Chapter 45: Balance

Was it a good sign? Kaiba becoming so unbelievably angry with her and then deciding to look for her? Would he have hurt her?

No, she was sure he wasn't that evil. Even _if_ they didn't speak at dinner…

The meal was awkward beyond belief. Mokuba couldn't sense the tension between the two and had chirped cheerfully about his day, earning a nod and a grunt in response from Kaiba. Once or twice his head turned toward her and seemed to wait for her attention, but she kept her eyes trained expertly on her plate.

This had been happening for the past three nights.

And still no communication from Kaiba. Alyssa claimed to understand though, internally. She managed to convince herself that he was busy with the public announcement and other things at Kaiba Corporation. And it wasn't like she had tried to communicate with him either.

She was satisfied with watching his announcement online, several hours after it aired. She was alone in her thoughts when there was a knock on her door and Kaiba walked inside.

He held a small bar of chocolate behind his back, as he stealthily closed the door and walked to her bedside. His attention was diverted to the laptop for a moment and he saw himself standing in front of a dozen or so microphones, remembering the event in its entirety. Shaking his head, he turned toward her and whispered to her.

"Alyssa…" His mumble caught her attention and her aqua blue eyes found his immediately.

"Yes?" She was prepared. If he said he wanted her gone, she would have to find her biological parents. She had already asked Roland if he had found anything about them while researching Ryuuka Takahashi's death. It was a negative reply at first, but he promised to do a bit more digging and he would come to her with any results.

Kaiba took a deep breath and prepared to speak. Internally, he cringed. It had been three days of inconsistent communication with Alyssa and he was slowly losing himself. He felt weak, powerless without her.

The irony here is that both Alyssa and Kaiba believe the other to be angry with them, when in reality, both are simply afraid of the other's opinion of them.

"Alyssa… I want to properly apologise for my behaviour at KC the other day, I was angry and I didn't want to hurt you or your feelings. I can't take your silence anymore, it's driving me in-"

"Wait." Alyssa held up her hand cautiously and interrupted him, shocked to the core. He was _apologising_ to her? Why was _he_ apologising to _her_? Should it not be the other way around? "Seto, I thought you were upset with me for causing all of these problems!"

Kaiba stared at her in confusion for the longest time, trying to decipher how he had given her that impression at all. "Why did you think I was angry with you? I've caused all these problems for myself, and dragged you into them too. It's because of my own idiocy that all of this has happened, not you at all." He moved closer and sat on the edge of her bed, placing the gift he had brought for her on the duvet carefully. "I thought I'd bring you a treat… I hope you like caramel."

Alyssa ignored the chocolate and instead, studied his face carefully. He seemed to be genuinely surprised when he learned that she thought he was upset with her. And he seemed to be genuine with his apology. It was too confusing for her, and she closed her eyes to think.

It made sense for him to be angry with her. Ever since he brought her home from the institution, there have only been problems accumulating on problems for himself and Mokuba, with this current problem being the worst so far; the problems with her adapting to real life, and not the lies she had been taught to believe; trying to decipher feelings and emotions that she could not understand; coming to terms with being the only human with supernatural abilities, and slowly learning how to control them… Not to mention that he had to save her after she had been kidnapped.

But on the other hand… he _chose_ to bring her into his home. He could have sent her to an orphanage or foster care, but he decided to bring her into his life. He told her how much he cared for her. How much he wanted her. And he showed that to her the night of his birthday party. At the memory, she blushed slightly and smiled.

He told her on numerous occasions that he was happy to have brought her home; that he didn't care what anyone said, he had made the right decision. He didn't _have_ to come save her when she was kidnapped, but he had _chosen_ to do it. Because he _wanted_ to. So what had made her think otherwise?

 **The expression on his face as he told her to leave his office.**

"Seto, I thought you wanted me gone completely. That day, in your office, I'd never seen you that angry. And you asked me to leave. I was worried that you meant leave the mansion and find someone else to help me."

When she dared to open her eyes and look at him, Kaiba had his head pointed at the floor and his hands cupping his face. Fear spiked through her once again as she stared, waiting for his response.

"Ally…" His nickname for her. He really wasn't upset? "I was angry with _Sayoko_. With _myself_. I caused all that bullshit to flare up when I decided to act without thinking and had you check her thoughts. I was being selfish and vain, and wanted to know if she ever cared for me. I wanted to know at the time, but now I don't need to know." His hands dropped from his face as he spoke, but he never fully faced her. Instead, he was choosing his words carefully and thinking over the situation at hand. "I've been acting foolish these past few weeks. My feelings for you have confused me. But I think I can create a balance between everything going on at the moment. Between you and I, Mokuba, the company…"

She listened to his reasoning with curiosity. So she would see less of Kaiba's caring side? Would he be cold and heartless toward her, like he was to his employees?

"Of course not. I'll be more… Controlled."

His deep blue eyes connected with hers and he smiled in reassurance, hopefully putting her overactive thoughts at peace. She nodded (What else could she do?) and he leaned over to kiss her gently.

"I would like to bring you out for a business meal tomorrow. I've had quite a few responses from several other companies who want to meet the face of the new hologram, and I thought you'd be alright with it." Another nod. His face was directly in front of hers and she struggled not to lean in again for another kiss. "I told them you're very shy, so they shouldn't ask too many questions. If you get uncomfortable, just let me know."

He stood and bowed politely to her, taking her hand and kissing it. Then he left. And Alyssa was left confused with her muddled feelings.

Why couldn't she find a balance like Kaiba had?


	47. Chapter 46

**A/N: I'd like to think that everything is coming together in this story... I hope I'm not dragging it out too long, do tell me if I am :)**

 **Read, enjoy and feel free to review. Much love :) x**

* * *

Chapter 46: Dining in style

Alyssa stressed that night about the business dinner. She tossed and turned in her bed, unable to find a comfortable position to sleep in; thoughts of being over-dressed or under-dressed on her mind; the risk of having too much alcohol to drink, or not drinking enough and being impolite; knocking her glass over and spilling the liquid all over herself and Kaiba… The list went on and on.

When morning finally came around, she had barely closed her eyes for three hours. Sighing, she decided to stay in bed until someone came to find her.

No-one came.

She slept in until a little past eleven that Saturday morning, finally getting up and having a shower, before dressing and making her way downstairs for lunch. When she entered the kitchen, Anna jumped up from her seat at the breakfast bar.

"Miss Alyssa! We were starting to worry that you had left unsupervised!" After the last time she left the mansion?

"No, I wasn't able to sleep last night so I slept in for a while…" Alyssa rubbed at her arm in discomfort, looking around the kitchen nervously. "Um… What's for lunch?"

Anna's eyes widened and she looked around, slightly panicked, muttering about something called 'brunch' and trying to remember what the cook had told her.

"Master Mokuba had pancakes and tea, Mister Kaiba had his coffee… What would you like Miss Alyssa?" Breaking from her mumbling, Anna turned to face Alyssa once more and questioned her. Before she could answer, Anna squeaked and turned on her heel, running out of the room.

"Pancakes..?" The word left Alyssa's mouth breathily as she watched Anna leave in a hurry, curious as to why she suddenly ran off the way she did.

She shrugged it off and made her way over to a cupboard, meaning to find something to eat. But before she could do so, Kaiba strode into the kitchen, followed by Anna.

"Good morning. I was waiting for you to wake up." Alyssa watched as he walked around and pulled out a high chair from the breakfast bar. "Won't you sit?"

"Yeah…" Alyssa moved toward him and sat down, smoothing out her black pleated skirt and making sure to rearrange her red vest. Kaiba took the seat beside her and asked Anna to make pancakes for the two of them.

"I know you're worried about this evening. Don't panic. They won't ask you anything too difficult to answer." Kaiba took out his phone and checked an email, before nodding and putting it back into his pocket. Anna was whisking pancake batter like mad and had a frying pan on the heat, ready to cook them.

"If I get stuck, you can think of something for me to say." Alyssa's sudden suggestion seemed to amuse Kaiba and he chuckled, nodding in agreement. Nothing more was said until Anna placed down the pancakes in front of Kaiba and Alyssa, before dashing out of the kitchen once more.

"I have also contacted a different doctor to look over you." At this, Alyssa's hand paused in mid-air and she glared at him. Her pancakes threatened to fall off her fork as she appraised Kaiba's posture. "She was my doctor before Wasaki was. I met Wasaki through Victoria and Mike."

"She?" A female doctor? This made little sense to Alyssa, who was used to reading about male doctors. Her tone of voice must have alerted Kaiba to her thoughts, as he stopped chewing his pancakes and faced her.

"Is there a problem with a female doctor?" His eyebrow raised as Alyssa shook her head quickly, dispelling all negative thoughts of female doctors. "She's very good at what she does. In fact, it took me quite a while to arrange for her to see you. I upset her quite a bit a few years ago when I changed my official doctor to that imbecile." And he took more of his pancakes and continued to eat, waiting for Alyssa to continue eating.

"When is the appointment?" She stared down at her plate with dread. ' _I don't want the same thing happening all over again. I need time to prepare myself_.'

"It's three days from now. You have all the time you need to prepare yourself." Kaiba's comment put her slightly at ease and she continued eating slowly, wondering what the dinner would be like.

Life was suddenly very busy.

* * *

Anna helped her to find that same red dress she had worn when Mike and Victoria had visited. Although the dress held horrible memories from that evening, Anna was certain that if tonight went well, then the new memories would drown out the bad ones. Besides, she found it to be a waste of a beautiful dress if Alyssa only wore it once.

Her usually straight hair had been curled to produce big, brown ringlets of hair that fell fluidly down her back. Anna had done the same makeup as the disastrous evening, eyeliner and mascara adorning her large aqua blue eyes.

Kaiba greeted her eagerly in the front hall at eight that evening, informing her that the restaurant was a ways across the town and that it would take a short while to arrive there. Their drive in the limousine was quiet, even with Alyssa asking various questions about the dinner plan.

"It's a three course meal. You can choose whatever you like here." He whispered to her, as they walked into the Italian restaurant. "They know that we're seeing each other, just so you know. Don't be embarrassed."

She felt ill. And she knew it was just nerves, but she couldn't help but feel scared. When Kaiba led her to a table with three other couples and introduced her as his partner, the butterflies in her stomach seemed to multiply.

Kaiba led her around the table which had four chairs on either side, and found a suitable place for them to sit, all the while being watched by their company. The men were eyeing her perversely as Kaiba pulled out her chair and allowed her to sit first, while the women were judging her behind their fake smiles.

"I see know why you chose such a beauty Mister Kaiba! My escort isn't half as beautiful!" Someone offered as Kaiba took his seat beside her. She noted that he had given her the seat on the edge of the table, and he took the seat beside the man who spoke.

"I never believed in bringing escorts to dinners Yomato." Kaiba's somewhat rude but to-the-point reply earned him a grunt in response, but Kaiba turned to Alyssa. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, I am. Are you?" He smirked and refrained from chuckling, as the waitress brought over their menus and offered several different wines. The other businessmen chose their bottles with ease ignoring the scantily clad women beside them, but Kaiba took his time asking Alyssa what drink she would like.

"You can have the wine if you like, but not too much of it." His low mumble went unheard by the others in the group, as they had fallen into a loud conversation about numbers. She nodded slowly, all too aware of his warning from a few weeks ago about wine and alcohol. When the waitress poured out a small amount for Kaiba to taste, he allowed Alyssa to taste it also.

"Ra Kaiba, you have never been this attentive to anyone else in my presence." A fairly young man with a black ponytail and green eyes sat beside a busty blonde down at the far end of the table, and his voice seemed to aggravate Kaiba immediately. The waitress poured out more wine for Kaiba and Alyssa, before leaving them to choose from the menu.

"Because I have never had someone precious to be attentive to, Devlin." Alyssa had noted his lack of honorifics before, but here it sounded malicious as he addressed the C.E.O. of Dungeon Dice Monsters. At this, the other three men present raised their eyebrows with surprise, looking around at each other and silently analysing Kaiba's choice of words.

The women were jealous of Alyssa and she could feel their hatred toward her, which is why she chose a shared meal on the menu. It wasn't usual for Alyssa to feel the need to make anyone more envious of her, but tonight she felt important. And she wanted to milk it a little.

"Seto?" He immediately faced her, as did everyone else at the table. "Can we have this together please?" He looked to where she was pointing to the shared pasta meal on the menu and he nodded as soon as he realised what she wanted.

"Of course. It looks delicious." The smile that lit up her face caused Kaiba to smirk with satisfaction, before he turned and entered the conversation with the others.

Kaiba's hand held hers under the table.


	48. Chapter 47

**A/N: First and foremost; I own no rights to Coca Cola, or the word soda.**

 **I know soda is an American word for a carbonated drink, and I didn't want to confuse anyone by calling it otherwise. (Brits call it pop, whereas the Irish call it juice. Don't ask, it makes no sense to me.)**

 **In an attempt not to spoil this shorter chapter, I have added some notes at the end. Enjoy! x**

* * *

Chapter 47: Broken contract

When the waitress returned a few minutes later, there was pandemonium among the others at the table. Kaiba and Alyssa chose their dishes with ease, while the women argued with the men over having separate meals. It seemed Alyssa's decision to have a shared meal sparked jealousy problems around the table, and she tried her best not to giggle.

"What were you all talking about? It made no sense to me…" Alyssa dared to ask, as the others argued and Kaiba stared down at the table, arms folded, in disgust.

"Finances. How much money our companies make and lose in a year, to be specific." He sounded bored, and Alyssa couldn't blame him. It _sounded_ boring. She brought the glass of wine to her lips and took a gentle sip, before pulling a face and shivering.

"This isn't very nice Seto…" Alyssa would easily admit to him that she kept her composure in front of the waitress for Kaiba's sake, but in reality, she hated how the wine tasted. Kaiba raised an eyebrow and asked if she wanted to have water instead. "It would seem very unprofessional if your girlfriend didn't drink wine…" was her reply, which made Kaiba sigh and look around the dining room.

Swiftly, he stood and walked away from the table, toward a small table holding several bottles of soda and wines. Alyssa waited with bated breath as he chose one and made his way back to her, pouring some of the Coca Cola he had chosen into her wine.

"This is a trick Gozaburo showed me when I refused to drink wine at meetings." He gestured for her to take a sip and she did, finding that the soda helped dampen the taste significantly.

The first course of three arrived shortly after, and Kaiba was immersed in numbers once again. The 'escorts' conversed among themselves down at the other end of the table, once or twice interrupting the more important conversation to ask a stupid question.

' _Mister Kaiba thinks he has this deal all wrapped up. Little does he know that the account I supplied him with doesn't exist_.'

It was a fleeting thought, but Alyssa caught it. And she knew exactly who it was. Mister Yomato, the man who had commented on her when they had first arrived. She took a sip of her wine once more, swirling it in her mouth while thinking of what she should do.

She needed to be discreet about this, she knew that. But how?

Carefully, she tugged on Kaiba's arm. His attention was immediately broken from the other men conversing intently, much to their annoyance. She didn't like them all staring at her, and she decided that the best course of action was to act anxiously.

"Where is the bathroom? There are so many people here…" As she spoke, she gazed around herself in pretend fear and Kaiba stood straight away, excusing them both from the group. They walked down toward the toilets, before Alyssa pulled him toward the bar and checked to make sure they weren't being watched.

Kaiba was not prepared for such a movement, and nearly fell as she tugged on his arm. "Alyssa? What are you doing? You said-"

"Mister Yomato gave you a fake account! He's going to steal your money!" Her hushed exclamation brought realisation to his eyes and Kaiba straightened himself. His eyes narrowed and he looked back toward the table, growling lowly as they all laughed at something Devlin had said.

"Is that right?" Kaiba wanted nothing more than to kick something at that moment. That evening with Alyssa at Kaiba Corporation flashed in his mind and he pinched the bridge of his nose, breathing deeply. He couldn't afford to lose his temper now, not in public and certainly not in front of Alyssa.

She suddenly pulled him downwards and connected their lips, kissing him for five seconds before pulling back and smiling at his dazed face.

"You need to calm down, the anger was permeating from you." And once again, Kaiba was at a loss.

"Spontaneous kisses are not a good idea right now, Ally… But I appreciated it." His hormones were going crazy. Alyssa's face pulled into a frown when he finished speaking, but he ignored her as best he could as he led her back toward the table. As soon as she was sitting, she took another sip of her wine.

Kaiba said nothing to Yomato, much to Alyssa's surprise, until the table was cleared after the first course was finished.

"We're going to the little girl's room. Alyssa, would you like to come with us?" One of the women asked as they all stood and prepared to walk toward their destination. She shook her head with a small smile, and the smiles on the other women's faces dropped as they walked away in a sulk.

There was silence at the table after they left. It seemed the businessmen were only interested in talking when they had someone by their side.

"Yomato." Kaiba's voice cut through the sudden silence like a blade, earning him looks of bewilderment from everyone at the table. "The contract?"

Mister Yomato smiled at Devlin and the other man, whose name Alyssa still did not know, as he took a ream of papers from his suitcase under the table and handed them to Kaiba. He flicked through the stapled paperwork as Yomato briefly reminded him of the main points of the agreement.

Kaiba tore the contract in half.

Yomato face drained in colour as Kaiba explained that he had researched the account to find that it did not exist, hence why he 'voided' the contract. Alyssa held back a smile as she took yet _another_ sip from her glass, watching as the other C.E.O.s frowned in disgust at Yomato who scowled, annoyed that he had been caught out.

The conversation was much quieter after that, even when the escorts returned and the food arrived on the table. The overly attentive waitress kept replenishing Alyssa's wine as soon as she neared the end of her glass, and each time Alyssa would pour soda into it to make it more tolerable to drink. After a while, she found herself adding less and less soda.

She lost track of how many glasses of wine she had, of what course they were eating, and what time it was. Eventually, Devlin addressed her directly as she and Kaiba shared a slice of chocolate cheesecake. Up until his question, she had become lost in her own world and was staring blankly at everyone, not even noticing when Kaiba offered her some of the cake.

"So Alyssa, may I call you Alyssa? That's a beautiful name by the way." His confident smirk made Alyssa feel queasy with nerves and she carefully asked for him to call her Miss Takahashi. He frowned at that, but continued none-the-less.

"How did you and Kaiba meet?"

* * *

 **More notes...**

 **The coke and wine mix is a delicacy somewhere; you can actually order it from a menu. I think it's French, but don't quote me. I may be completely wrong.**

 **We're nearing chapter fifty of this story, and I'm amazed that I actually continued a story on for this long! ^.^ I was debating whether or not I should rewrite my other stories and have them make more sense. I reread them both recently and I was horrified at my stupid writing errors. I know I was younger when I wrote them, but they're horribly cheesy and terrible to read, so if you think I should/could rewrite them, please let me know!**

 **Thank you all again for continuing on with this! I hope you enjoyed the chapter, as short as it was! Much love! x**


	49. Chapter 48

**A/N: A HUGE thank you and a hug to the 'guest' who left a review last chapter! This chapter is especially for you!**

 **It's all fluff from here, as sickening as that may be. I hope you enjoy nonetheless!**

 **Also, I own no rights to 'Alice in Wonderland'. Entertainment purposes again.**

 **Read and enjoy! Much love! x**

* * *

Chapter 48: Too much wine…

Devlin waited for an answer, as did everyone else, while Alyssa tried to focus on what to say. Should she be honest? Or should she lie?

She found herself speaking before she had time to properly think her answer over. She wanted to mentally ask Kaiba what to say, but the words were tumbling from her mouth before she could even look at him.

"He found me when I was in a bad place. He showed me the world in a whole new light, and gave me a place to stay. He has shown me so much in the past two months, things I would never have known without him. He is amazing."

Silence. Jaws practically on the floor. Eyes as wide as planets. Kaiba staring into her face with shock.

She suddenly felt like she was drowning; as though by saying the 'wrong' thing, she had caused her lungs to fill with water instead of air. She was about to started hyperventilating when Devlin chose to speak.

"And here I was expecting a mundane answer. Kaiba, who knew you were such a sweetheart?" Devlin slid a hand into his black hair and pushed it back, smirking like the Cheshire cat from Alice in Wonderland. "Bad place, huh? Drugs or something?"

"I was with bad people, people who wanted to hurt other people actually." Again, she spoke without thinking. What was she doing?

' _Ally, you're being too honest…_ ' Kaiba. Her boyfriend. She had almost forgotten he was there. She turned to him and smiled, then laid eyes on the cheesecake they had been eating together.

"Oh my gosh, chocolate cake!" Her exclamation surprised everyone at the table, but she took no notice as she took the fork from Kaiba and began to eat with excitement. Kaiba coughed politely to get her attention, then motioned at the cake with his head.

"We were sharing." At this, Alyssa scooped up some cake on her fork and held it in front of his face, offering it to him. He gently took her hand and slipped the fork from her grasp, smirking at her sudden change in mood. He knew it was the wine, and decided to stop the waitress from pouring her another glass the next time she came around.

"So what made you decide to be his model for his new hologram?" The other, unidentified man asked Alyssa. She flicked her hair from her face and swallowed her cake, before she replied.

"Seto is forever calling me cute. And I like how he looks at me." More stares. Alyssa was having a mental breakdown trying to figure out why she was speaking without thinking.

"I think the wine has gotten to her. I apologise for her behaviour." Kaiba quickly cut in. He was smirking and amused beyond belief, but he also had a reputation to maintain. "I think I should take her home, she isn't used to being out for too long."

"Is she even old enough for wine? She doesn't look twenty one…" Typical Devlin. Kaiba wanted to bite his head off for that unfortunately wise observation.

"You're not quite of age either Devlin, I wouldn't go throwing stones in glass houses if I were you." Kaiba was in control of his temper. And he was little proud of himself that he was. He stood, and brought Alyssa with him, bowing as he said good night to the men and led Alyssa away.

She stumbled, her grip on his arm tightening as she tried to navigate the floor properly. Since when were there so many dips in the carpet? Why was the room spinning around her? Why did she feel like she was underwater?

Kaiba allowed himself a chuckle at her uneasy display, eventually deciding to pick her up bridal style to carry her outside to the limousine. His actions made her head swim even more and she felt quite nauseous, even as he placed her carefully onto the leather seats. Nevertheless he sat beside her, folding his arms as she leaned against him.

"Alyssa, you drank too much wine." Was that all he was going to say to her? Was he angry with her? Alyssa was about to defend herself, when guilt shrouded her. Did she ruin the evening? She wanted to ask, but the words that left her mouth had nothing to do with an apology.

"So now you can take advantage of me?" Clearly, her mouth was still running away from her, but she wasn't even able to feel embarrassed. Kaiba dared to laugh aloud at that, realising that she had manipulated their previous conversation in her intoxicated state. "Or am I meant to take advantage of you?" Her lips pouted as she tried to think back to their conversation, confusion clouding her memory.

"No Ally, no-one is taking advantage of anyone." He stared out the window as the limousine drove smoothly across the city. Alyssa's hand crept onto his thigh and he immediately looked down at it, wondering what she was doing.

"I read a story online like this." Her voice was very low. Kaiba swallowed nervously and unfolded his arms, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. It was a poor attempt at stopping her actions, but it was all he could think of doing.

"A story? About what?" He watched her hand move slowly up his thigh, resting just below his belt, and then travel down again, toward his knee.

"A story about a girl who went on a date with Seto Kaiba, and got drunk and had sex with him back at his mansion." Fantasy writing. Of course. Kaiba despised the people who wrote sick-minded fantasy stories about him. It was pathetic. As if he would waste his time on people like them.

"That's nothing like tonight." He looked out the window again. He had to ignore her hand until they got back to the mansion and put her to bed; she'd be alright again in the morning. The sound of her seat belt clicking undone barely registered in his focused mind, until her light weight dropped onto his lap with ease.

She was straddling him.

Kaiba stared at her blankly. What should he do? He would undoubtedly hurt her feelings if he were to push her away, but alternatively, he didn't want to sleep with her while she was inebriated. It just wasn't right, even if she wanted to.

And then he was kissing her. He wasn't sure if he decided to kiss her, or if she decided to kiss him, but it didn't matter in the end. His hands made their way under her dress and curled around her small thighs, his thumbs moving in small circles and making her moan. Her hands were in his hair, then on his chest, then on his thighs… He lost track of where her hands were next.

By the time they pulled into the Kaiba Mansion's grounds, Kaiba had long-forgotten about getting her straight to bed. Her own bed that is. He had other ideas.

A nervous cough caught their attention, and they looked over to see that Roland had opened the door for them. His face was averted from their awkward position, and he held a hand in front of his mouth in what Kaiba interpreted as discomfort.

Alyssa blushed and looked down, the queasy feeling she had felt before returning immediately after they pulled away from each other. Then she pulled herself off of him and patted down her skirt, before standing uneasily out of the limousine and waiting for Kaiba.

Kaiba took his time standing from the vehicle. It seemed something was on his mind, and although Alyssa was heavily intoxicated, she could still focus enough to hear what he was thinking.

' _I need to get her to bed_ …'

But she misunderstood his thoughts. When she suddenly darted into the house without him, Kaiba watched in bewilderment at her display and wondered what on earth was happening.

"I don't know what gotten into her tonight Roland. I think she's had too much to drink…" The young C.E.O. couldn't quite bring himself to outright apologise, but he could explain to Roland that it wasn't entirely his fault. Roland stifled a chuckle and faced Kaiba, a look that he could not explain on his face.

"I think you both might have had a bit much to drink, sir." Amusement. Roland thought this was funny.

"What are you saying Roland?" Kaiba's expression became very cold and very serious very quickly, and any other man would be terrified to be in this position. But not Roland.

"Sir, if I may speak my mind?" A raised eyebrow was the only response he received. "Even while seeing Miss Mizuki, you were not so… Outward with your affections. Unless you wish for me and the rest of the staff to believe that our boss only needed the right woman in his life to show him how to feel again, it's best that we all assume you are heavily inebriated."

Kaiba said nothing for a long moment. The staff? What was Roland talking about?

He looked up toward the large mansion and realised that several maids were nervously looking through the windows at their display, the butler was waiting at the front door and Anna waiting beside him. Sighing with defeat, he merely nodded and moved slowly toward them, asking Anna where Alyssa had run to.

"I'm certain the young lady was headed toward your bedroom sir." The same glimmer from Roland's eyes was shining in hers, and Kaiba wanted nothing more than for a hole to appear below him and swallow him.

But he was forced to move on, to find the young lady who was causing him so much hassle right now.


	50. Chapter 49

**A/N: If anyone gets an email saying that I uploaded Chapter 50, I haven't. This is Chapter 49.**

 **is annoying in that the site does not allow for prologue chapters. And this story needed a prologue.**

 **More notes at the bottom. Enjoy the chapter! x**

* * *

Chapter 49: Thoughts

Alyssa awoke in a darkened room the following morning. Her head felt like it was full of concrete and her eyes were burning from the little streak of sunlight that filtered onto her bed. She yawned carefully and stretched, wondering why she felt the way she did. Subtle typing could be heard in the room, and she looked around, finding Kaiba typing on his laptop at his desk.

 _His desk_.

She was in _his_ room.

She bolted upright in shock and her head swam, a pain she had never felt before spreading from her temples to the back of her head. She gasped at the feeling, holding her forehead and mumbling incoherently. Kaiba stopped typing and asked how she felt.

"Well I certainly don't feel good." He smirked at her response and nodded toward the locker beside the bed, meaning for her to see a box of aspirin alongside a glass of water.

"Those will help." She swallowed two of the aspirin and ignored Kaiba's suggestion to stay in bed. Instead, she wandered over toward him and watched as he typed an email to someone. That wasn't out of the ordinary, but he was talking about her and _that_ was worrisome.

"What are you doing?" Her inquisitive tone almost annoyed Kaiba, but he took a breath and replied;

"I'm writing an email to the doctor you're seeing on Tuesday. She asked for details, so I thought I would send all your old files, as well as information I have accumulated while you've been here." It made sense, but Alyssa was still uneasy about sending all her private information to a doctor. Besides, Wasaki was supposed to be trustworthy, but look at how that worked out.

"Oh… I see…" She refrained from asking anything more, and chose to simply sit on the edge of his bed and watch him work. He stopped typing when she sat down, and turned toward her.

"What you said about me last night has gotten around. People think I have a good side to my otherwise cold personality." Alyssa stared at him for a long while, trying to remember what she had said about him. She frowned when she couldn't quite recall how they got home. The last thing she remembered was pouring Coca Cola into her wine…

"I don't remember what I said." She had to be honest with him. There was no point in her pretending to remember something she had done; she didn't want to cause a row. He raised an eyebrow and appraised her quietly, his elbow resting on the desk and his chin in the palm of his hand.

"Do you remember _anything_ from last night?" His murmur was difficult to hear across the room, but Alyssa caught on to what he was saying. She shook her head slowly, looking down and seeing that she was no longer wearing her red dress.

It was one of Kaiba's shirts.

"You drank too much wine, tried to seduce me in the back of the limousine and then fell asleep in my bed." Alyssa's jaw dropped, and Kaiba refrained from chuckling at her. He was very surprised to have come up to his room and found Alyssa asleep in his bed. He fully expected her to be awake and provocative, as she had been in the limousine. Apparently, she had been too exhausted to carry out her intentions.

Kaiba didn't seem too angry with her actions, but she assumed he wouldn't have been very happy with her display. She immediately began to apologise, to which Kaiba raised a hand and asked her to stop. "Don't apologise. You were adorable."

"Adorable? Seto, I must have embarrassed you so much… And seduce means that I tried to have sex with you… I really… I don't… Why did I…"

His eyes narrowed. "Ally, I said it was fine." She stopped talking. She didn't like how he was suddenly treating her. Not at all. She turned her head away from him, not quite able to face him as she snapped at him.

"Can you stop being so rude to me?" Silence. Kaiba stared at her, a blank expression on his face. Then he cupped his face with both his hands and sighed.

"I didn't mean to be rude, Alyssa. It's just that everything's getting a little awkward now and your apologising isn't going to help matters." She stayed quiet. She was still embarrassed. "And I never complained about you seducing me. It was quite enjoyable." Her eyes met his and she saw that familiar glimmer amidst the blue that both scared and excited her. The blush that rose to her face showed just how embarrassed she was feeling, and Kaiba chuckled at her.

* * *

Just when things couldn't get any worse, Seto Kaiba was wide awake. It was a little past three in the morning, and he was supposed to get up at seven for work. But he hadn't slept a wink, and although he had pulled all-nighters at work before, never had he been unable to sleep in his own bed. Well, except for when he was younger, but that was a separate issue.

Not that it wasn't _related_ to his current predicament. Kaiba was struggling to understand how Gozaburo Kaiba had failed to successfully kidnap Alyssa. It had been a little over two weeks since the event, and although Gozaburo and Victoria were waiting for a trial, Kaiba was certain they had another trick up their sleeves.

What confused him more was the fact that Wasaki had sold the story to a tabloid newspaper. Surely if he were helping Gozaburo and Victoria, he wouldn't have sold them out? For a petty few thousand yen? What was he thinking?

Unless he wasn't working with them anymore. Perhaps after their arrest, he decided they were of no use to him and he branched out to find other means of making money from her? That would explain the news story, and the fact that he was present while Victoria held her captive.

He was also confused as to why they brought her to the cottage where she grew up with Gozaburo. Mike had found the photograph just days before her kidnapping, and Kaiba assumed it was because of Mike's search that Victoria and Gozaburo kidnapped her when they did.

Speaking of Mike, he had asked for several weeks off on sick leave. Surely he wasn't that harmed, was he?

Kaiba wondered if he should visit him and make sure he was okay. He was the closest Kaiba had to a proper friend, and even if he didn't outwardly express his appreciation for Mike's work, he was a diligent worker who deserved some recognition.

Maybe he deserved the two months of sick leave after all.

* * *

Alyssa was curled into a ball in her bed, looking at her notes that she had written down earlier in the evening. A soft glow from her lamp bounced off the red walls, giving the room a sense of warmth. She had sensed something off about Mike when he rang and asked Kaiba for sick leave (Whatever _that_ was) and she was writing her thoughts on the matter down on paper to see just how crazy she was.

So far, she had written down that their kidnapping attempt was ridiculous and that there had to be more to it. Beneath that, she had started to write something about Mike possibly being involved, but she erased it almost straight after she had seen it written.

"Mike is too close to Seto though… But come to think of it, he was the one to introduce Seto to Doctor Wasaki…" She mumbled aloud, her pencil scratching slightly on her notepad. "And Victoria is his wife. He would definitely know what she's doing, husbands and wives don't hide things from each other."

She stared at the plan she had drawn up in front of her.

Perhaps Mike wasn't as helpful as Kaiba thought he was.

Kaiba's door opened and closed quietly just then, and Alyssa realised with surprise that it was past seven in the morning. She hadn't slept a wink all night. She suddenly decided to go ask Kaiba a very important question about Mike, so she darted out of bed and opened the door quickly, calling to him as he began to descend the staircase.

"Seto. Can I ask you something?" Her loud whisper caught his attention and he looked up at her bewildered, before coming closer to her bedroom. "How did Mike react when you came to get me from the institution?" She seemed to be hugging her bedroom door as she spoke, distracting him slightly as she swayed with the hinged wooden door.

But that was a strange question. Kaiba frowned and cocked his head to the side. Had he not been carrying his briefcase, he might have folded his arms. Ignoring her childlike actions, he thought briefly over why she would ask such a thing, and decided to ask her as such.

"What is that relevant to?" She shrugged, and he noted her tired eyes, then shook his head in disapproval. "We can talk when I'm finished work. Go back to bed…"

"But Seto, I can't sleep." Kaiba frowned even more and shoved a hand into the pocket of his suit pants. "I've been trying to find a reason for everything that's happened, and it all leads back to Mike. How did he react that day?"

Kaiba studied her face for a long time. He had spent the majority of the night thinking over this exact dilemma, and now Alyssa was trying to play detective too. He smirked at the thought, and looked away from her face as he recounted the day in question. She was going to find out, one way or another. He might as well tell her.

"I told him about when I first went to the institution, and saw you for the first time. I was angry that they called you a weapon. You're a human, a young lady. Not a weapon of destruction.

"Mike asked if I would prefer that he go and close down the institution. In fact…" At this, Kaiba's frown returned and he looked up at her. "In fact, he was adamant that he go in my place. Even when I said I wanted to be the one to do it, he kept offering to close down the institute and take care of you."

Alyssa listened carefully, and paid close attention to what he was thinking. From the looks of things, Mike wanted very much to go to her institute in Kaiba's place. She was confused, and could feel Kaiba's confusion and slight irritation at her silence emanating from him.

"We can talk when you come home from work." She used the same words that he had used and his eyes narrowed, mistaking her intentions as sarcasm. "I need to think over everything, and write it all down. We'll talk later." He nodded, and kissed her gently, before continuing to Kaiba Corp.

Alyssa had a lot of homework to do.

* * *

 **A/N: I'll bet you were anticipating a lemon in this chapter ;) Sorry, but no. And there won't be one next chapter either. Chapter 50 is going to focus on something else entirely, and I'm pretty sure it'll add another layer of depth to the plot-line.**

 **Also, I GOT ANOTHER REVIEW! Thank you so much to vampireprincessofempire (I hope I spelled it correctly) for your review! I know I promised mentions before for reviews, but I got so many 'guest' reviews that mentions seemed pointless :L So we're starting that up again!**

 **If you have any questions, or comments that could be answered, I will be replying to them at the end of the chapters from here on out.**

 **Much love! xx**


	51. Chapter 50

**A/N: Happy 50th Chapter-versary! I'm so excited for this chapter! It's a real turning point in the story!**

 **Again, thank you all so much for continuing to read Experiment 13!**

 **Just to warn you, I change from using 'Mike' to 'Michael' every once in a while in this chapter, but it's still the same character that we all know and love!**

 **I hope you all enjoy! Much love! x**

* * *

Chapter 50: The Unexpected

Michael Simm made his way into the detention centre solemnly, his briefcase in hand, and a dissatisfied expression on his face. His hazel eyes were clouded with disgust at the centre; his black hair was styled as it usually was and his broad shoulders seemed to droop at the idea of stepping foot into this sort of place. He was here to see his wife, Victoria.

The wife who was now being held, pending trial, for the kidnapping of Alyssa Takahashi. He sighed as he recounted the day in question; being 'dumped' at the airport before Victoria made her way back to Domino with her thugs.

At the reception desk, he clarified his name and showed suitable photo identification, before being led to a small room with two chairs separated by a table. And on the other side of the table, sitting in the uncomfortable plastic chair, was Victoria.

"Michael!" Her exclamation of happiness and her sudden willingness to stand to greet him brought a smile to his face. As she embraced him warmly, he took the time to whisper in her ear;

"I knew this was a bad idea." She pulled back slightly, just enough so that she could see his face, and asked what he meant. "I told you Kaiba was too smart. I knew you were going to be put away."

Victoria tutted and let him go, her arms dropping to her sides limply as she took her seat once more. Mike sat down across from her, and waited for her new plan.

"Kaiba cares for the girl. A lot. But father still thinks she has potential and hence, she's worth the time we're spending on her." Mike remained silent. He didn't want to interrupt her. "I haven't seen father in days now. I don't know what he plans to do next. I think…" Here, she paused. It was the first time Mike had seen her 'uncertain' face in a long time.

"What are you thinking?" He wanted to help her. To help Gozaburo. They helped him when he was in a bad place. So many years ago.

But at the same time, Kaiba had opened up to him. He trusted him. And being trusted by Seto Kaiba was something to be amazed by.

"Michael, you need to see my father. He'll have a plan. But listen-" She stood quickly and grabbed his tie, pulling him closer and into a standing position. Her lips joined with his effortlessly and he brought a hand to her face gently, holding her there and enjoying what he had missed while she had been busy dealing with Alyssa.

Victoria pulled away and smirked at his reaction to her. "Stay safe. I don't want you getting into trouble. Play it carefully, alright? Go speak with Gozaburo." Mike nodded in agreement and grabbed his long-forgotten suitcase, before throwing her a sly look over his shoulder and leaving the room.

Back at the reception desk, he requested that he see Gozaburo, and waited patiently as they arranged the meeting. A little over ten minutes later, Mike was sitting in the same meeting room discussing matters with Gozaburo Kaiba.

"And Mizuki gave up too?" Mike had been clever enough to bring Gozaburo's documents with him to the centre. The elderly man was currently looking through everything, wondering where he went wrong in his calculations.

"She's been all over the news. She knew nothing of Wasaki's interference, but she's siding with him. I have someone keeping tabs on both of them, apparently they've been seen eating out together."

At this new information, Gozaburo sighed angrily and scrunched a piece of paper into a ball. Lazily, he threw it into Mike's briefcase, ordering for him to shred it as soon as he gets home. He then sought out another page and did the same, and Mike knew they were the contracts and fact-files they had for both parties.

"New tactics must be adopted for this to work." Gozaburo now had two new pieces of paper in his hands. "Seto will seek out his previous doctor. You must get to her before he does. Convince her of this…" Handing Mike a letter, Gozaburo sat back and watched as amazement spread over his face. "And then contact this young man. He's crucial to this idea, so do and say anything you can to get him on board." Another fact-file. Mike looked over it carefully and immediately recognised the face in the picture.

"Duke Devlin? Why would he be..?" He trailed off as he continued to read the paper. A coy smirk appeared on his lips and Gozaburo's sinister smirk adorned his own face. "Perfect sir, absolutely perfect. This seems more plausible than the first idea."

"Both ideas were genius. I was the one who drew up the plans." As much as Mike looked up to this man, he couldn't help but think that his confidence in his own abilities left much to be desired.

"Of course…" An awkward silence fell between the two. Mike eventually broke it when more than ten minutes had passed. "I'll get started on these straight away." He began putting the notes back into his briefcase as Gozaburo stood and made a noise of agreement. Mike had a lot of planning to do.

* * *

When Kaiba returned from work that evening, the issue with Mike was far from his mind. His briefcase fell to the floor instantly, as did his jacket, as he thought over the events of the day. He was forced (At least, that's how he saw the matter) to fire his entire Public Relations department, after he found that they were doing little or nothing to counteract the rumors spreading across Japan about his company.

He sighed in frustration, kicking off his shoes in the front foyer of the mansion and removing his tie, before making his way into the kitchen. Despite the fact that it was later than nine in the evening, he needed some coffee.

A newspaper sat on the breakfast bar and as Kaiba walked toward the coffee pot, he stopped and looked down at it. Wasaki. Why was _his_ news story here in the kitchen?

He suddenly remembered that Alyssa wanted to talk to him about something, but he couldn't remember what it was. Did it matter that much? He shrugged and finally made his way over to the coffee pot. Someone had made some fresh coffee, about ten minutes before he got home. Was it the cook? The maid?

He didn't care too much, and poured himself a cup. Sitting down near the newspaper, he simply sat and stared into space, barely registering when Alyssa came in and sat beside him.

"Seto, I don't understand…" He looked toward her and waited for her to continue. "Why are you friends with someone like Mike?" That was unexpected. He frowned at her, his deep blue eyes staring into her aqua eyes and making her feel uncomfortable.

"Two things are wrong with your question. First, he is a business associate, not a friend. And secondly, there is nothing wrong with him."

"But he didn't see it happening!" Kaiba was baffled by that. He sat up straighter, realising that he had hunched over slightly in his unfocused state, and asked for her to elaborate. "Husbands and wives see everything the other does! How did he not know that Victoria was going to kidnap me? How did he not know her father?" Kaiba could feel a headache forming in his forehead, and placed a hand on the area where he felt the pain most. He sighed, shaking his head slightly.

"Married couples don't keep tabs on each other. Couples have affairs all the time. Besides, Mike and Victoria were living very different lives. Both work for different companies." Alyssa listened intently to Kaiba's reasoning. So if Mike wasn't that oblivious….

"So does that mean Mike knew, but didn't think anything of it?" Kaiba scoffed and took a sip of his coffee before replying. Alyssa didn't like when he did that. It seemed quite rude of him.

"Of course not. He probably had no idea of Victoria's intentions." He took another sip of coffee. A sip that would almost be spat out in surprise.

"Why are you defending a _business_ _associate_?"

* * *

 **A/N: Oh, I also noticed that my author's note last chapter was missing a word at the beginning of the second sentence. I _had_ typed that this site doesn't do prologues, but I guess they removed the site name for some reason. Just in case anyone was wondering :D **


	52. Chapter 51

**A/N: SO I haven't updated for a while and this chapter was planned out differently in my mind, hence why it's a useless chapter. I apologise in advance for the stupidity of it.**

 **I go back to college soon, and I have a few other online pages to manage, so we might just get regular updates from me yet! Hurray!**

 **Also, I have started retyping my older stories here and posting them on AO3, so if you want to head on over there, my info is in my bio ;)**

 **Thank you so much to everyone who followed recently! I had a nice string of emails over the past two weeks or so! I really appreciate all the support!**

 **Much love! x**

* * *

 **Chapter 51: Doctor's Orders**

"Why are you defending a _business associate_?"

Alyssa was implying that if Kaiba saw Mike as no more than an associate, he should have no reason to be making excuses for him. He frowned at her implication, setting his cup down on the bar and swallowing the sip he had just taken.

"I'm not defending him." His voice was a little rougher, perhaps he was annoyed? A quick check of his thoughts confirmed his irritation and Alyssa stood up from her seat.

"If you're going to be like that, then I'm going to bed." Kaiba watched in silence as she left the room, confused and still annoyed. It was a silent hope of his that she would see how childish she was being, and that she would return to speak with him again. Hence, Kaiba sat and waited in the kitchen for a further ten minutes.

He sighed when he realised that she wasn't coming back, and stood wearily, bringing his cup to the sink and rinsing it, before making his way upstairs. He didn't stop at Alyssa's bedroom but continued on to his room, where he changed into his bed clothes and sank into the sheets.

Kaiba ended up moving to Alyssa's room to comfort her later that night; her nightmares of an unforgiving doctor returning for the first time in a long time.

* * *

Doctor Takeshi greeted Kaiba and Alyssa nervously the following morning. She bowed politely, her soft brown hair escaping from the loose bun she had it confined within, and shook Alyssa's hand, telling her that it was a delight to be speaking with her.

"Mister Kaiba told me so much about you, through emails and such. I knew better than to believe what I'd read in the papers." She smiled reassuringly at her, making Alyssa feel a little less apprehensive. Kaiba asked to speak with her quietly for a moment, and Doctor Takeshi motioned for Alyssa to take a seat in her office. She then stood against the door and waited for Kaiba to speak.

"I really appreciate your willingness to help me, especially after how I fired you years ago…" Kaiba was never one to give out apologies, or appreciation, so for Doctor Takeshi this was unusual behaviour.

"It's quite alright Kaiba. I must say, this is too interesting a situation for me to refuse." Truth be told, she really hadn't much choice in the matter. Every doctor in Japan wanted to look after the Kaiba family, and she had been lucky enough to be sought out _again_ by Seto Kaiba himself. She offered him a small smile, hopefully reassuring him, before stepping into the office with Alyssa and closing the door.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Alyssa. You may call me Aiko if you so choose." Aiko Takeshi took her seat across from Alyssa, giving her ample time to become used to her new surroundings while she took out a folder. Alyssa had already taken stock of the room; it was medium-sized, with shelves lining the one full wall on the right as one entered the room. The desk they were both sitting at was in the middle of the room, and despite the fact that it was a doctor's surgery, the chairs were both comfortable to sit in.

"Might I ask you some questions?" Alyssa nodded in response to the doctor's request as she took out a notepad and pen. Answering questions sounded much better than 'testing' her abilities, something Alyssa never wanted to do again. "So what is your earliest memory of the institute?" Aiko's voice was reassuring and Alyssa thought back calmly, focusing on remembering being a child.

"I… Remember being in an orphanage before I was there." Aiko wrote something down and prompted for her to continue. "Ryuuka came and took me away, to a white room…" Alyssa suddenly closed her eyes and brought her hands to either side of her head in concentration. "He told me I was special, that I was important. But I wasn't allowed to leave the room, unless I was told to."

Aiko Takeshi wrote this down diligently, humming as she did. "And what then? What did they do first? If you don't mind me asking…" She realised that the young girl in front of her would be overly sensitive to the torture they put her through at the institute, and she didn't want to make her uncomfortable.

Alyssa looked to the side, her head tilting slightly. "They… Just sent me tutors. People to teach me to read and count at first. They sedated me too, when I got scared and tried to leave. The proper experiments and stuff didn't start until…" She drifted off, her eyes squeezing shut.

"It's alright Alyssa, you don't have to tell me everything yet." Aiko reassured her, stretching out a hand and resting it on Alyssa's. "We'll probably talk again sometime soon. In fact, from what I can deduce so far, it's going to take you a while to come to terms with what's happened…" She frowned down at her papers, thinking of what to do next. A dose of familiarity would surely help her to calm herself. "Tell me about Kaiba."

Alyssa opened her eyes and blinked at Aiko, confusion clouding her mind and momentarily distracting her from her memories. "What about him?" The hand resting on hers suddenly disappeared and Aiko waved a hand in the air dismissively, almost knocking something from the shelf behind her.

"Oh, anything. Like, what do you think of him?" She watched Alyssa's face carefully, hoping to see or maybe even _feel_ what Alyssa was feeling. A blush formed on her cheekbones and Aiko smirked, knowing all too well what that meant.

"He's nice. I guess, um… I really like him." Alyssa looked down at her feet, suddenly nervous. Her hands dropped to her lap and clasped at each other, as she took a small, shaky breath. "We're not really talking right now. I got upset with him last night, and I don't feel like speaking to him. But…" Here, she looked up to the ceiling and sighed, tears forming in her big aqua eyes. "I don't want to not talk to him. I miss talking to him… He's the only friend I have at the moment, apart from Mokuba."

Aiko hummed again at this news, looking down and taking a sheet of printed paper from the folder she produced earlier. Alyssa watched with curiosity as Aiko read over what was typed on the page and clicked her tongue, seemingly finding something interesting to read aloud. "Kaiba says you're attracted to him. Was he the first person you saw when you left the institute?"

Alyssa blushed even more and nodded in reply, and Aiko took out another piece of paper from the folder. She wrote on it quickly, but neatly, waiting until she was almost finished writing before telling Alyssa what was to happen. "I have another patient to see now, but I would like to speak with you again. I have yet to see or hear your…" Brown eyes met aqua and Aiko could have sworn she heard something muted in the small room.

"… So, for now I'm recommending you attend high school and mix with people your own age. The fact that the two Kaibas are the only people you have properly spoken to is why you are so attracted to Seto." She looked down again and folded the paper, placing it into an envelope and printing Kaiba's name on the front. "You should give this to Seto. And I shall see you soon, hopefully. Ask my secretary for a new appointment… Here, wait…" She took out a small post-it and scribbled something on it. "Give this to her instead. I'll see you next time Alyssa." She stood and walked Alyssa to the door, ignoring the strange gaze she could feel from those aqua-blue eyes. Kaiba was waiting patiently for Alyssa to return and stood eagerly when he saw her at the door. Aiko noticed his reaction and frowned, her head slowly tilting as she thought over his movements in response to the young girl.

* * *

Kaiba was elbow deep in work, yet again. The letter from the doctor sat untouched under a pile of letters from various departments, fans and other co-workers on his home-office desk. He sighed, running a hand through his hair in frustration. Small hands were suddenly on the letters, sorting through them and placing them into piles based on their importance.

"I might as well do something to help." Alyssa's exhausted voice pulled Kaiba from his frustrated thoughts and he studied her carefully. Her thin arms stretched out from the short sleeves of her shirt, reaching out to grab a letter and hold it for a moment, before placing it onto the appropriate pile. Fan-mail went straight into the bin, as Kaiba had no time whatsoever for that. Small bags under her eyes showed how tired she was, and Kaiba frowned in irritation.

"I said you could go rest. You're exhausted, I can see it." His smooth voice failed to put her at ease and she continued to work, ignoring his glare. "Alyssa…" His hand shot out and held hers, halting her in her tracks.

"Seto, I don't want to sleep yet." And that was all she would say. She disappeared at around ten that evening, informing him that she would see him in the morning. Kaiba couldn't get her to say another word about sleeping, or the doctor visit, all evening, eventually giving up and retiring for the night a little after midnight.

He was surprised, but pleased, to see her curled up in his bed.

* * *

 **Yeah, I know. The appointment was really short.**


	53. Chapter 52

**A/N: This chapter is dedicated to the Guest that asked me to continue writing this chapter. I've actually been struggling with how to go about writing this one, so if it sucks, I'm so very sorry :C I'm also debating how long this story should go on for... Mid-story crisis happening over here! :D**

* * *

Chapter 52: Making Plans

Kaiba found her envelope on his desk the following day. Standing in his pyjamas at the foot of his bed, he saw the small white rectangular envelope on his dark-coloured desk. Assuming Alyssa had left it behind her after leaving his room that morning, he picked it up and meant to find her to ensure she had read it. He paused when he found it was already open, the sloppily-written letter sliding out of the white envelope and threatening to fall onto his carpet at any moment.

Taking the letter out of the envelope carefully, he unfolded the creased edges and stared at the words on the very top of the white sheet of notepaper.

' _Seto,_

 _I believe Alyssa needs to be introduced into a school environment. If we are to believe that her reports are accurate, and that she is in fact sixteen years old, then we need to ensure her education is at the level that it should be. I know that upper-secondary level education is not a necessity for her, but I think that she would benefit greatly from it and she would probably enjoy it.'_

Kaiba frowned at the doctor's words. Alyssa needed to go to school? Why? He was not prepared to have her enrolled in Domino High, nor did he want her to attend that school that his peers were still attending. He also puzzled over the comment on Alyssa enjoying school. Who enjoys school?

As he contemplated calling Takeshi to ask her what she thought she was thinking as she wrote her analysis, another smaller piece of paper fell from the envelope. Kaiba picked it up from the floor swiftly, bending down as though he were about to touch his toes, finding that the smaller piece of paper was a post-it note.

' _She hasn't had much contact with other people. She needs to be around kids her own age. Around kids who act her age.'_

Kaiba glared at the implication in this note. He continued to glare, even after he put the note down, showered, dressed and made his way into Kaiba Corporation. Sitting at his desk, elbow deep in even more work, he still frowned, wondering where the nearest high school, other than Domino High, was located.

He could have typed in into his laptop and searched for one. He could have sent her away to Tokyo to board in a high school. He could have saved himself the hassle of trying to avoid the inevitable, to save himself the trouble of picking up the phone and arranging a meeting with the Dean of Students in Domino High.

But he didn't. Instead, he picked up the phone and arranged with the Dean of Students at Domino High to have Alyssa Takahashi begin school following the New Year. Sighing in disbelief at his actions, Kaiba ran a hand through his hair, his mind too preoccupied to even think about work.

* * *

Alyssa contemplated the words that the doctor had written to Kaiba that afternoon while curled up on her favourite bay window in the living room, book in hand. It wasn't often that she felt angry toward Kaiba, but she couldn't help but think that he was missing something crucial when it came to Mike and Victoria.

"Mike would have to know what his wife was doing, who her _father_ was…" Her book was long forgotten, her slim fingers holding the page that she had given up reading hours before. "He couldn't be that oblivious. And I'm assuming that he would want to meet her parents before they married, so he must know Gozaburo…" She bit on her thumb as she mumbled to herself, a reflexive habit from when she was young. It was something she hadn't done in a while, but after her short appointment with Doctor Takeshi, she was feeling a little put out at the idea that Kaiba wasn't 'normal'.

She realised pretty quickly that Kaiba didn't act like other people his age. The students that Mokuba invited to his birthday party were bright and vibrant, loud voices and silly games that brightened the mansion considerably. Alyssa suddenly wondered what her personality was like.

"Am I like them?" Her thumb dropped from her mouth to her chin, her face frowning with concentration. "Or am I like Seto?" A strong gust of cold wind nipped at her ankles just then, accompanied by the sound of the front door closing. Mokuba was home.

Alyssa stood and carefully placed her book on the window, making her way into the front foyer to greet the younger Kaiba.

"Hi Mokuba. How was school?" At her question, the raven-haired boy looked up at her in confusion.

"Since when do you care about school?" It wasn't a rude question; Mokuba seemed to be genuinely curious, not to mention amused at her question. She explained that it was suggested she attend school soon and Mokuba nodded in understanding. "Oh, I see. Well… It's okay. You gotta make friends though, it makes the day pass much quicker. You gotta listen to the teachers, and do the work they give you. And do tests. They suck." Apologising for having to do his homework, Mokuba made his way upstairs and into his room, leaving Alyssa standing in the hallway by herself.

* * *

And then there was Mike. Having arranged with Kaiba to take a few days sick leave, he had business to attend to. Tracking down Duke Devlin of Dungeon Dice Monsters wasn't difficult, and Mike found himself talking to an extremely charismatic nineteen year old much sooner than he anticipated. They were sitting in Devlin's office, decorated in hues of green and dark oak. The seat Mike sat in was leather, bottle-green in colour, and very comfortable to sit in.

"So what you're suggesting is…" Green eyes darted from Mike's face down to the glass Devlin was holding, the mixture swirling as he twirled the glass with his wrist. "You want me to befriend a girl called Alyssa and make her distrust Kaiba?" Michael nodded.

"It would work forever in your favour." Devlin hummed in uncertainty and took a sip of his drink. "After her trust in Kaiba is breached, he will try to regain her trust and leave Kaiba Corporation to be taken back by Gozaburo. It will be restored as the great weaponry dispensary it used to be, and Alyssa will be used to create more of her kind. Dungeon Dice Monsters will have a powerful contract with Kaiba Corporation, leaving you filthy rich." Devlin nodded in agreement, a sinister smirk appearing on his lips.

"I agree with all this…" Devlin frowned slightly, his hands resting on one of the many sheets of paper on the desk. "But leading her into a trap? I don't know how I feel about _that_."

Mike sighed, taking another sheet of paper from the folder he was cradling against him. "She won't be harmed. That is simply to ensure Kaiba is out of the Kaiba Corporation building long enough to allow Gozaburo entry."

Devlin hummed once more, before clicking his tongue and nodding. Taking a pen from his desk, he scribbled his name ungraciously onto the document.


	54. Chapter 53

**A/N: This is a short chapter, but I think it's important. The next chapter will be longer, and a little more interesting.**

 **Thank you so much to the guest that keeps asking me to update! Enjoy! x**

* * *

Chapter 53: "I understand."

Alyssa was thumbing through a catalogue for a well-known store when Kaiba returned home. She was curled up into the armchair by the open fireplace, a roaring fire keeping her warm. A sudden wave of cold air rushed over her when Kaiba opened the front door, making her shiver slightly at the loss of heat.

He walked over to her, setting his briefcase onto the floor beside her and looking at her solemnly. "Alyssa, I think we should talk…" When she didn't move, Kaiba sighed and crouched down in front of her.

Before he could speak again, Alyssa spoke in a low voice. "You're being mean to me. Like you're sick of me. And I don't like it." Her fingers gracefully flicked over the page in the catalogue, pictures of makeup sets in view.

Kaiba held his breath for a few seconds, wondering how to reply. He really wasn't sure how to approach the topic at hand, and he certainly did not want to discuss it. However, he knew that Alyssa would not appreciate is current behaviour, and felt that he should put things right.

"I'm not sick of you, at all. That's my problem. I'm focusing too much on you…" At this, Alyssa looked up quizzically. "I thought if I treated you the same as anyone else, my interest would dim slightly. It hasn't." His hand found its way into his hair, and he pulled at it in slight irritation. Her face dropped back down to her catalogue, her interest in gifts apparently more enticing than the man before her. "I arranged for you to attend Domino High in January."

Her hands stopped flicking through the booklet. Alyssa held her breath for all of ten seconds, before letting it out slowly and looking up to Kaiba once more. His abrupt confession startled her; how long did she have to prepare? When did school begin? Why did Kaiba choose his old school when he clearly despised it so much?

Kaiba heard the fleeting thoughts in her head as she pondered each one, and allowed himself to chuckle. "You have time, don't worry. And I chose Domino High because…" His weight shift from one leg to the next with a sudden emotion he couldn't quite place. He couldn't finish his sentence. He didn't want to finish his sentence. But he didn't even need to.

The words ' _Because it's closer to me_ ' found Alyssa loud and clear, and before she could say anything in response, Kaiba decided to lean over her and place his lips very carefully on hers. As though he might offend her. Or worse… Hurt her.

The memory of him kicking his chair in a violent rage in Kaiba Corporation flooded her mind, leaving her breathless and confused as his kiss became less timid. His arms wrapped around her tiny waist, pulling her upwards from her seat and into his chest, where he broke the kiss and brushed his lips very lightly against her forehead. The small, affectionate gesture made Alyssa blush, which Kaiba greatly enjoyed.

She stuttered, but got the words out nonetheless. "You said you were going to be more controlled. I thought…" His lips cut her off before she could finish her sentence, and another memory flashed before her eyes. Kaiba was thinking of the night she had too much to drink. From his point of view, she was sitting precariously on his lap, her hands in his hair and her mouth pressed hungrily to his. Alyssa was shocked at her display, but was even more shocked when she realised Kaiba had enjoyed it.

His lips left hers for a moment. "It was a shame you fell asleep that evening…" Butterfly kisses landed all over her face, from her eyelids to her jawline. "I would have left you breathless…" His mouth moved to her neck, where he kissed and suckled until she moaned despite her confusion.

Before she could respond, there was a shriek and a loud 'thump' from behind them. Kaiba turned around abruptly, Alyssa still in his arms, to see Mokuba standing in the doorway with eyes as round as saucers.

"What. Are. You. Guys. Doing?" His hands were extended, as though he had been holding something. Alyssa looked down to see one of his hand-held consoles on the thick carpet, and assumed he had dropped it upon entering the room.

Kaiba released Alyssa gently, making sure she was comfortable on her seat once again, before standing and looking Mokuba in the eye. "I was kissing my girlfriend. Is that alright with you?" Despite the absurd seriousness in the room, Kaiba's admission had a touch of humour to it, and Mokuba couldn't help but smirk.

Crossing his arms much like Kaiba, he scoffed. "Next time, get a room. You have plenty…" His eyebrows suddenly furrowed, and he looked to Alyssa in curiosity. "You usually see me coming. What gives?"

Kaiba gave Alyssa a knowing smirk, knowing exactly why she hadn't noticed Mokuba's arrival. She stood and looked down at the carpet in embarrassment, a blush adorning her cheeks. "I was otherwise… Distracted Mokuba." He mumbled something in response, picking up his console and leaving the room. Alyssa kept her eyes on the thick carpet.

"So you're ignoring me because you like me? Is that what you're saying?" Her voice was unsteady as she spoke, and Kaiba frowned.

He didn't want to have to explain that he was unused to having a significant other, especially after the Sayoko incident. Alyssa focused her attention on his clouded thoughts, and suddenly smiled in realisation.

"I understand."


	55. Chapter 54

**A/N: I'M BACK!**

 **So sorry for the delay in writing here. I was hit with a bout of writer's block that only affected this story. I've been so confused about where this story is going and how it should get there etc etc... But it's all good again!**

 **I want to say a HUGE thank you to all of you who followed, favourited or reviewed! It meant so much to me, even if I didn't reply to any of them (Sorry about that by the way, work and college have both been so stressful). There have been so many guests that left reviews, and a fair share of registered users that followed. It meant a lot to me that you were all still here, reminding me to update this story.**

 **So this chapter is a little longer than the others, and I've noticed that my writing style has changed again. I hope this doesn't cause too much confusion!**

 **See the end of the chapter for shoutouts! They're long overdue!**

* * *

 **Chapter 54: On. My. Floor.**

Kaiba and Mokuba had a tradition of going shopping together and having a meal out just before Christmas. So on the twenty-third of December, Mokuba, Kaiba and Alyssa were all dressed for cold weather, and waiting in the foyer of the mansion. Anna was coming along to accompany Alyssa, and secretly to help Kaiba choose her Christmas gift.

At first, Alyssa had protested to going out with them. "If it's your tradition, then I don't want to interrupt!" It was several days before, when she and Mokuba were sitting in the living room together. Mokuba had brought one of his consoles into the room and was playing it on the large television screen, sighing at Alyssa's protests.

"Seto told me before that mom and dad used to do it years ago, when they were still alive. He remembered going out with them a few times. That changed when we were orphaned, so Seto promised to make it a tradition in _our_ family if we ever got the chance." Alyssa stayed quiet during the explanation, not wanting to spoil the sweet moment.

Mokuba's character on the screen suddenly stopped moving, and Alyssa noticed Mokuba's downcast expression. "Mom died when I was born. I feel horrible for taking her away from Seto and me. He took it really badly." The character began to move again. "But Seto says it wasn't my fault. So I'm not allowed to get upset by it anymore."

Alyssa begin to think of her own parents, remembering the blurred vision she had of them the month before. "I never knew my real mom, or dad. I don't even have a photograph of them. All I remember is a blurry image of two smiling faces…" At this, Mokuba turned around in his seat to face her.

"If they're smiling, does that mean they wanted to keep you? Usually parents are sad if they have to adopt out their kids." She pondered that for a moment, before shrugging and checking the time.

Now Alyssa stood nervously in the foyer, waiting impatiently for Anna to eventually arrive. A cool hand took hers gently and squeezed slightly, easing her nerves and relaxing her. Sending an appreciative smile toward Kaiba, Alyssa breathed in through her nose and tried to relax some more.

Anna came flying down the stairs, tripping over her words as she apologised for taking so long to prepare herself. Kaiba waved his hand dismissively, turning toward the front door. "You weren't prepared. It was a last minute decision."

Alyssa smiled at Anna. "Let's get going." The four of them moved out of the front foyer and into the driveway, making their way into the limousine waiting for them. Alyssa was amused at Anna's reaction to the leather in the limousine. Both sat awkwardly in the posh interior, while Kaiba scoffed and Mokuba laughed at them both. They were driving to a large outdoor shopping promenade in Tokyo, and Mokuba had his hand-held console for the journey.

Alyssa sat next to Kaiba while Mokuba and Anna sat across from them, and Alyssa's face flushed a deep crimson when she suddenly remembered the last time she had been in the limousine with Kaiba.

Kaiba seemed equally as uncomfortable as he remembered the evening. "Ally, no wine for you during our meal later on." She blushed even deeper, noting the stare from Mokuba over his console and the indirect glance from Anna. She nodded in response, keeping her head down low as she did. Anna twiddled her thumbs as the limousine pulled away from the front of the mansion smoothly, breaching the gates and turning onto the street toward the station.

' _But a drink or so when we get home is permissible…_ '

Alyssa looked toward Kaiba mutely, a small grin apparent on his lips. He knew exactly what he had done.

* * *

Their shopping trip was otherwise uneventful, with Alyssa buying a variety of small items for Kaiba for Christmas. She tried to find something for Mokuba, and found that buying gifts for people who already had everything was impossible. After eventually finding an annual for game he liked to play on one of his consoles, she decided that she would try making him something to accompany the book.

They made it back to the mansion safely, and Anna made her excuses to go straight up to her room. "I made the mistake of having a glass or two of wine at dinner. I'm feeling rather tired Mister Kaiba, if I could retire for the evening…"

Kaiba dismissed her with a wave of his hand, telling Mokuba in the same moment to go up to bed. As expected, Mokuba whined about it being early yet, but made his way upstairs regardless. Left alone in the foyer of the mansion, Alyssa looked to Kaiba with a small smile.

"Today was brilliant, Seto. I can't wait for tomorrow."

Kaiba nodded and motioned with his hand, which confused her for a moment. She walked over toward him dutifully and he smirked, holding out his hand for her to take. She continued to look him in the eye and waited, wondering why he was acting this way.

He took a breath. "We've had a stressful few weeks, Ally." Alyssa stilled as his arms wrapped around her waist. "I want to make it up to you."

"Make it up to me?" She was confused. But Kaiba ignored this and led her upstairs, to his bedroom. She shivered slightly as she realised where he was going with this, feeling the warmth already spreading between her thighs. When they reached his bedroom, he let her sit on the edge of the bed as he moved over to his dresser, producing a bottle of wine and two glasses.

"Alcohol loosens you up a little." He poured a glass, and she watched as the pink-pigmented liquid fell into the glass easily. "And I want you to loosen up, to relax."

Alyssa felt the blush rising in her cheeks as she remembered the last time she drank too much wine. "But Seto, I embarrassed you the last time…"

He frowned at her, strolling across the room to hand her the flute. "I'm not getting you drunk. And you didn't embarrass me, I embarrassed myself." Alyssa's eyebrows pulled together at him, before looking down at the drink in her hand.

"You didn't dilute it."

"I don't need to." Her eyes met his again, seafoam green against azure blue.

"I don't like the taste of wine."

Kaiba scoffed. "You haven't even tried it."

Alyssa sighed with defeat and brought it gently to her lips. It tasted different to the last one; the white wine in the restaurant had been a little sour and sharp to drink, but this was different. It tasted a little like berries, and Alyssa hummed at the taste.

"Yeah, okay. I like this one."

Kaiba smirked at her reaction to the beverage. He had searched high and low for a drink that Alyssa would enjoy, and now that he had found one, he was delighted. Retrieving his own drink from the dresser, he came and sat beside her on the bed.

"So what did you buy today?" He was genuinely interested to hear what she had chosen for herself. Anna had helped him quite a bit with choosing her gifts, but Kaiba was curious to know what Alyssa _liked_.

She took another sip of her wine, a longer sip, and closed her eyes, licking her lips. "I bought a book for Mokuba, it was all I could find. Everything else I found for him he has already." Her eyes suddenly found his again and she raised an eyebrow. "Are you asking me what I got for you?"

Kaiba chuckled. "No, not at all. I wanted to know what you bought for yourself." His arm slipped around her, his hand resting on the soft duvet beside her thigh. He felt a little guilty, doing what he was doing. This could _technically_ be seen as taking advantage of her, but he was certain that nothing bad would come of this.

Alyssa's eyebrows knitted together when he said this. "I didn't buy myself anything. Christmas is about giving to those you care about, not buying yourself more things."

Kaiba was reminded of Téa's selfless nature, and how he despised it, but decided that it was only fitting that Alyssa should be this altruistic. He watched her as she took sip after sip of the wine he had gone through so much trouble to find, watched as she slowly but definitely loosened up after each sip.

Prying the nearly empty glass from her eager fingers, he placed both glasses on the floor before turning to her and running his fingers through her hair. "Alyssa, can I kiss you?" He had to give her the choice. She blushed at his words and looked down at her shoes, then looked up with a large smile on her beautiful face.

"Please do."

His finger moved under her chin to tilt her face toward him, and he pressed his lips gently to hers. Her mouth opened at once and he chuckled a little at her excitement, his tongue moving to meet hers. She moaned at the contact, moving on the bed until she was sat on Kaiba's lap. Her hands moved to his head and he pressed to her a little more, his hands moving to hold her waist and neck gently.

She suddenly pulled away, a blush on her cheeks. Her hands settled on his shoulders as she addressed him, her frown indicating her worry. "Seto, what if Mokuba…" He ignored her, pushing her back onto his silk sheets and attacking her throat with his mouth. It had been too long since the last time they slept together, and Kaiba was eager to please her.

Alyssa squeaked as she landed on her back, giggling as his lips connected with her pulse spot. Her hands moved to his hair again and she massaged his head, the alcohol making her relax into his touch. His lips finished leaving a slight bruise on her throat and moved south, hitting the collar of the dress she was wearing. He stopped and looked at the collar for a moment, confusion crossing his features as his fingers pulled at it slightly, and Alyssa giggled again.

" _This_ is in our way." His voice had dropped several octaves and she found herself melting in response to his wording. He pulled her away from the bed long enough to pull the zip down and the red dress seemed to drain away. It was a high collared red Christmas dress, one that she had bought especially for the meal out.

Kaiba tossed the dress over the side of the bed, ignoring as it pooled on the dark carpet. He raised an eyebrow at the green lingerie she was wearing, his thoughts in the gutter. "Oh Ally…" His finger caught on the spaghetti strap of her panties, pulling at them teasingly. She smirked at him knowingly, her confidence growing with each second. "They look good on you. But do you know where they'll look even better?"

She knew what the answer was. She could tell, even without reading his thoughts, that he was teasing her even more than he already had. She was nervous, but excited, desperate to hear him tell her where they'd look better.

Her voice was barely a whisper. "Where, Seto?"

His smirk became almost sinister as he bent to whisper in return, his words caressing her ear delicately as she felt him tugging the panties down her slim thighs.

"On. My. Floor."

* * *

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